By Talissa Siganto
Copyright abc
An Ipswich man who deprived his infant stepson “of his most basic needs” while on a drug binge with the baby’s mother has been jailed for eight and half years but could be released on parole next year.
Warning: This story contains content some may find distressing.
Eight-month-old Dexter Wilton died in June 2019 at his home in Raceview.
After a protracted police investigation, his mother Natalie Whitehead and her partner Andrew William Campbell were charged with murder.
Their charges were later downgraded to manslaughter, and last year Whitehead was jailed for nine years.
Boy suffered ‘severe neglect’
Earlier this year Campbell, 45, pleaded guilty on what was supposed to be the first day of his Supreme Court trial.
On Wednesday he faced a sentencing hearing where the court heard the couple had taken a “cocktail of drugs” at the unit across a number of days.
The court heard during this time Dexter had been left in his cot in his room unattended without food and limited fluids for at least 21 hours before he died.
His cause of death was acute malnutrition and severe dehydration, the court heard.
Crown prosecutor Matthew Le Grand told the court Dexter suffered “severe neglect of his most basic needs”.
“The hours preceding Dexter’s death would have been extremely distressing, physically and emotionally,” he said.
Mr Le Grand told the court Campbell considered himself a parental figure to Dexter despite only recently starting a relationship with Whitehead.
“The breach of the duty [of care] in this case is nothing other than abhorrent,” he said.
‘Tragic and utterly heartbreaking’
The court heard after finding the baby dead, Campbell and Whitehead bathed him and changed his clothes before calling emergency services.
Justice Catherine Muir told the court it was “extremely concerning and serious offending”.
She said Campbell’s actions “were not the result of some unforeseen circumstance”.
“This was not just one moment in time, it was prolonged,” she said.
She said Campbell chose to “nourish” his drug habit instead of caring for Dexter.
He was handed an eight-and-a-half-year sentence and given a parole eligibility date of this time next year.
Campbell, who served 898 days in custody before being granted bail, was returned to custody.
