Baby killer jailed for manslaughter of toddler son could be soon be freed within months

A father-of-three who tortured and murdered his young son could be released after just 10 years behind bars, sparking outrage from the toddler’s grieving relatives.

Shane Akehurst threw his 21-month-old son Corby against a wall so hard that the baby’s brain stem was severed.

In March 2015, Akehurst threw Corby’s tiny body against the wooden frame of a bed in their remote Sunshine Coast hinterland property.

The impact on the boy’s head was so forceful that it caused whiplash and caused his eyes to bleed internally.

Despite the efforts of paramedics and doctors, Corby was declared brain dead two days later and his life support system was switched off.

Although initially charged with murder, Akehurst pleaded guilty to manslaughter and torture in 2019 and was sentenced to 12 years and six months behind bars.

But with time already up, Akehurst’s non-parole period expires early next year and he can be released.

Because it comes within six months of his minimum sentence, the state parole board has told Corby’s shattered family that Akehurst can now begin the application process to walk free.

Father-of-three Shane Akehurst (pictured), who murdered his own son, could be released from prison after serving just 10 years of his sentence, leaving the toddler’s relatives outraged

“He should have been given a life sentence,” Corby’s furious maternal aunt, Tanya Jeffrey, told the newspaper Courier mail.

‘He gets a second chance at life, but Corby never had that.’

An autopsy revealed that Corby had 81 separate injuries.

These included broken ribs dating back weeks, a missing fingernail and extensive facial injuries.

Akehurst told investigators he felt Corby’s ribs “pop” after pinching him “really good.”

The boy’s penis and scrotum were also bruised and the skin was broken, which was likely caused by forceful squeezing, the court heard during sentencing.

Akehurst threw his 21-month-old son Corby (pictured) against a wall so hard that the baby’s brain stem was severed

The father of three told police he had anger issues that sometimes caused him to lose control.

He also admitted punching Corby in the head several times when the boy woke up and called for his mother in the night.

Ms Jeffrey disagreed with Akehurst’s charges being reduced to manslaughter and torture and said he should have faced a jury charged with murder.

“I had to give it up for a while because the system drove me wild,” she said.

‘Where is our justice system?’

Ms Jeffrey has contacted Liberal National Party police spokesman Dan Purdie, a former child protection detective who led the team investigating Corby’s death.

Mr Purdie has written to the parole board asking it to keep Corby’s family informed if Akehurst applies for release.

An autopsy revealed that Corby (pictured) had 81 separate injuries, including extensive facial injuries

‘It was a traumatic crime. The team I worked with worked diligently around the clock to secure a conviction for an offender who had gone to great lengths to cover up his crime,” Mr Purdie told the newspaper. Courier mail.

He and Detective Senior Constable Stacey Marshall sat with Akehurst in a waiting room at the Queensland Children’s Hospital for several hours and eventually obtained a confession from him after he tried to cover his tracks.

When the SWAT team took Akehurst to the guardhouse in Brisbane, they had worked for 48 hours straight.

“These are the kinds of crimes where there are never any witnesses and the perpetrator never brags,” he said.