Update:
Harley Hicks, the man who fatally beat baby Zayden Veal-Whitting to death, has lost his appeal.
Hicks, 22, was previously sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 32 years without parole, for killing the 10-month-old baby while he slept in his cot.
Justice Stephen Kaye rejected Hicks’ appeal, in which his lawyers’ argued he was drug affected at the time.
Justice Kaye referred to Hicks as “utterly evil” and called the case “an appallingly violent and callous murder of a helpless infant”.
Hicks was 19 years old and high on ice when he beat baby Zayden 33 times with a copper wire batton, after breaking into the Veal family home in 2012.
Mamamia previously published this heartfelt letter by Zayden’s mother, Casey Veal.
Warning: This post contains disturbing accounts of child abuse and murder, and may be very distressing for some readers.
On June 15th, 2012, I woke up to a nightmare.
A nightmare I never woke from again. I awoke to find my son, my world, my mini me, stolen…
Zayden Maxwell Kevin Veal-Whitting had been viciously murdered in a frenzied attack causing multiple fatal wounds to my precious boys face and skull.
He had been bashed almost beyond recognition.
I couldn’t even perform the simplest task of giving my son lifesaving CPR as his mouth and throat, amongst others, were severely swollen and unable to take my air.