Court heard Hemi kicked, hit and applied pressure prior to fatal injury

A MACKAY court echoed with the sounds of anguish and anger as a child killer's fate was determined. Matthew James Ireland, 31, was jailed for eight and a half years in the Supreme Court in Mackay on Monday for bashing 18-month-old Hemi Burke to death in Moranbah on March 26, 2015. But Ireland will be eligible for parole on March 24, 2019, meaning he could be free in less than two years after serving time for manslaughter. Following Justice Duncan McMeekin's decision, heavy sobbing and angry outbursts could be heard throughout the courtroom, which was packed with Hemi's family - including mum Kerri-Ann Goodwin and dad Shane Burke. Any empty seats in the room were taken up by supporters of Fighters Against Child Abuse Australia, who attended with the family's blessing. ... Justice McMeekin said Ireland - who had been a friend to Mr Burke and Ms Goodwin - told police the fatal blow to Hemi's head was caused when he was bathing the toddler while babysitting. " ... he eventually told them he had caused injuries to the child in an attempt to quieten him. The accounts he gave matched to some extent the bruising which was later found,” he said. "There are four separate incidents that you (Ireland) have recalled to the police in which you applied pressure to him (Hemi), or hit him or kicked him. "The fatal injury appears to have occurred in this way: Hemi woke up crying, you went into his room, he had defecated, you undressed him, took him to the bathroom and washed him off. "The child ran to the other end of the bath and endeavouring to get him to come back to where you could reach him ... out of frustration you grabbed the child's right-hand leg and pulled the leg out forcefully from under him. This caused the child to fall back, hitting his head on the side of the bathtub.” Justice McMeekin said it seemed Hemi then started to seizure, which led to Ireland calling 000. Hemi's other injuries remain somewhat unexplained, but medical professionals linked some with "punching or kicking with moderate to severe force”, Justice McMeekin said. Mr Phillips said Ireland initially blamed Hemi's injuries on the boy's three-year-old sister, who was also in Ireland's care. Later, defence lawyer Tim Ryan said Ireland had been assaulted twice while in jail, likely in connection to Hemi's death.