A Brisbane Court has been told of how a four-year-old boy claimed he’d been punched in the stomach by his stepdad before he vomited “green slime” and then died.
Tyrell Cobb was found unconscious at his Biggera Waters home in May 2009 before he died shortly after in hospital.
The boy’s mother Heidi Strbak, 33, and her ex-partner Matthew Scown, 33, appeared at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday for a committal hearing charged with murder.
According to the Brisbane Times, the pre-schooler’s uncle Danial Allan was giving testimony about what he witnessed when he went to visit the boy one day before his death.
“He wasn’t well — again,” Mr Allan said. “He was throwing up, green sort of slimy stuff into a bucket.”
“We watched a movie and then he wanted to go to bed.”
Mr Allan alleges that the child had showed him a bruise above his genitals and said “Matthew had punched him in the stomach”.
Mr Allan said that he’d asked his stepsister Strbak how Tyrell got the injury but she said “it happened at kindy”.
AAP reports Tyrell died from internal bleeding and peritonitis – inflammation caused by an infection of the ruptured organ and had more than 70 injuries.
Mr Allan also claimed Strbak would not have noticed multiple bruises all over her son’s body because she had a drug problem.
“How does a mother not notice 76 bruises?” Mr Allen reportedly said before adding, “Stoned as a parrot all the time – that’s why.”
The Brisbane Times also reports that neighbours also testified and said that they could hear Strbak “screaming and yelling” at her son.
Neighbour Peter Frear told the hearing a “druggie-looking” blonde-haired woman used to scream or yell the name Ty and “bad swear words”.
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