An evil stepdad who punched a toddler so hard his intestines ruptured has had his jail term increased.
In a shocking child abuse case that appalled Australia, 22-month-old Mason Jet Lee suffered a "slow and painful death" after months of cruelty at the hands of his mother and stepfather.
In the youngster's life he had suffered 12 serious injuries, caused by beatings and neglect.
Five days before his death, in June 2016, stepfather William O’Sullivan punched the boy so severely his organs ruptured.
Today, O'Sullivan's sentence was increased from nine to 12 years after appeal judges took into account the serious "deliberate infliction of fatal violence" by an adult on an infant in care, 9news reports.
After he punched him, instead of taking Mason to the hospital as he vomited and cried for days with a high fever, he was instead seen taking him to pick up fast food.
Heartbreakingly, the toddler spent his final hours wrapped in a towel with blue lips, making grunting noises, a court previously heard.
O’Sullivan, 37, was sentenced to nine years in jail last year for manslaughter as he was accused of doing nothing to help despite the youngster clearly being in agony.
Brisbane Supreme Court also sentenced Mason’s mother, Anne Maree Lee, to nine years after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by not getting her son the medical attention he needed.
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath appealed for more jail time for the pair, saying their sentences were manifestly inadequate.
The appeal against the sentence given to Lee was dismissed in court today.
Judges said her neglect could not be compared with an unlawful killing of a child by a deliberate violent act.
