Mum jailed for minimum 17 years for killing son

GRAHAME COX

VERDICT DISPUTED: Patricia Angela Pickering, 38, broke down in tears as she was found guilty of the murder of Dylan Rimoni, 3, at the High Court at Auckland.

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Family members of a woman who killed her adopted three-year-old son clashed in an Auckland court this morning as she was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.

Patricia Angela Pickering was found guilty of murdering Dylan Rimoni by a majority verdict last month after a seven-week trial.

Dylan was admitted to Auckland's Starship Hospital with head injuries on April 16, 2008.

He died two days later and a post-mortem examination showed extensive brain damage.

Passing sentence in the High Court at Auckland, Justice Edwin Wylie said it was clear Dylan was vulnerable as he was a defenceless three-year-old boy.

He told Pickering it was impossible to imagine a more serious breach of trust.

Pickering's family, who packed the court's public gallery, were divided over support for her.

As she was sentenced, half the family shouted words of support for her while the others hurled abuse.

The crown said that Dylan had been beaten over a long time, and brain damage that killed him was the result of his head being slammed against a hard surface like a door.

The defence said Dylan received his head injuries when he fell from a trampoline.

Pickering continued to plead innocence today.

- NZPA