In 2015, a seven-year-old boy named Akira died after he was struck by a tree while he and his family were gathering firewood at Mt Lloyd in Tasmania.
His father, who described his son as a sweet and gentle boy, said he felt like he was missing a part of his soul. In September, a jury found his former partner, Joshua Clark, guilty of manslaughter.
During the trial, the court heard that Clark yelled “get the f*** out of the car” moments before the tree fell on top of the ute in which he and his family were sitting.
Lynd managed to get out of the vehicle with her toddler, while Akira was later taken to the hospital. On Friday, the boy’s father, Brett Carroll, fought back tears as he described his son’s death.
Clark cried as the victim impact statements were read out in court. Lynd said that her heart was shattered after her son died.
She also said that she was unable to enter her son’s bedroom or shower because of his death.
According to Lynd, her heart has been shattered into a million pieces. She also said that one of Akira’s siblings asked to wear a helmet because he was afraid of flying debris.
Clark was found guilty of manslaughter after he was accused of failing to take adequate precautions when he used a chainsaw to cut down a tree.
According to the court, he parked his vehicle in the drop zone, and he had no control over the tree’s direction when it fell.
Clark’s lawyer, Kim Baumeler, said that his client had been a victim of an abusive childhood, and the bush was a safe place for him to gather firewood. Baumeler also noted that the incident was an aberration.
According to Baumeler, Clark’s daughter passed away two years ago due to various medical issues, and he was unable to get the medication he needed in prison for PTSD.
Following the court’s verdict, Carroll said he wanted the legal proceedings to be over.