December 11th 2024.
A young mother is still struggling to cope with the tragic loss of her 10-month-old son, who was described as "sweet and perfect". The baby, Khaylan Butler, was taken off life support on December 3, 2023, just two days after being shaken and dropped by Maddison Butler's former partner, Daniel John Ridgers. Initially charged with murder, Ridgers later pled guilty to manslaughter in a Hobart court.
According to reports, the 26-year-old Ridgers had shaken Khaylan five times after the baby had become fussy following a visit to his grandfather's house. In his initial statement to the police, Ridgers claimed that he had lost his balance while stepping on a toy car, causing him to drop the baby. However, he later admitted to being "tired and drained" when he shook Khaylan "really hard" in an attempt to calm him down. He expressed deep remorse for his actions, saying he would take it all back if he could. "I just flipped. I was just having a bad day," he said.
Butler, who was at work at the time of the incident, returned home at 1am to find her son struggling to breathe and looking pale. When she picked him up, his eyes had rolled back, and he appeared to be in distress. An MRI scan later revealed that Khaylan had suffered a catastrophic brain injury that was not survivable. An autopsy confirmed that the injuries were consistent with vigorous shaking. The baby had also suffered bruising on his head from hitting the cot and a tear in his mouth.
Butler, speaking in court, shared the heartbreaking details of the moment Khaylan's life support was switched off. "I watched the life leave his perfect little body," she said. "The physical and mental pain of leaving that room is indescribable...I never knew you could hurt like that." She also expressed the pain of not being able to see her son grow up and reach milestones like speaking his first words and learning to walk.
Describing Khaylan as a perfect and sweet baby with a mischievous smile that captured the hearts of everyone who met him, Butler also shared her guilt and regret for not being able to protect her son. "Sometimes I feel I failed him...how could I not have known the danger he was in?" she said. She emphasized that time does not heal the pain but only takes her further away from the last time she held her baby.
Ridgers, who was not Khaylan's biological father, has been in custody since the incident and is scheduled to appear in court on December 20. In light of this tragic event, support helplines like Lifeline and Beyond Blue have been highlighted for readers in need of assistance. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always someone to turn to for support.
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