Mother sentenced after 'negligence' causes son's death

Key points

• A 49-year-old woman has been sentenced to five years' jail, suspended, for manslaughter by negligence after her four-year-old son died in a pool at their Munbura home in 2021. Tara Maree Richardson pleaded guilty to the charge, which was downgraded from murder.
• The boy's father, Andrew O'Sullivan, said the sentence provided no justice for his son's death.
• The court heard Richardson had struggled to care for her autistic son, with child safety officers previously raising concerns about his welfare.