- FEBRUARY 24: Jailed for child homicide
- FEBRUARY 19: Man stood on girl
BELLA Jade Lawrence was just three years old when her life was cut short by a man she trusted.
Bella was a vibrant little girl. She loved princesses, dolls and tea parties with her brothers.
She rarely wore anything that wasn’t pink or princess related.
Bella’s killer, Horsham man Harley David Woodford, 22, pleaded guilty to child homicide and was sentenced to nine years and six months’ jail in Melbourne’s Supreme Court on Friday.
The sentence carries a non-parole period of six years and six months.
The court heard Woodford became frustrated after tripping over Bella, the daughter of his then-partner.
He stepped on her stomach and lifted his foot off the ground, placing all 100 kilograms of his weight on her 14-kilogram frame.
Bella died from severe internal injuries at Horsham’s Wimmera Base Hospital the next day, on September 17, 2015.
Bella’s mother Anjie Roberts, now 24, had been in a relationship with Woodford for two years.
She said losing Bella had left a gaping hole in her life and the lives of everyone who knew her daughter.
“The biggest part of me is missing – my Bella,” Miss Roberts said.
“She was my girl, my world, my absolutely everything.
“Bella had the biggest, most sweetest, little innocent smile, one that lit up any room she entered – and such a beautiful, caring and kind heart to match.
“She wore her little princess crown on both the inside and outside.”
Seven months after Bella’s death, Miss Roberts’ grief was compounded when the coroner advised a police investigation was necessary.
“It has destroyed each and every one of us. We will never be the same again without our princess”
- - Anjie Roberts, Bella's mother
Police informed Miss Roberts that Woodford had confessed to killing her daughter.
Miss Roberts has twice faced Woodford across the court room. She said the experience had made her physically ill.
Miss Roberts said it was the first time she had set eyes on him since he confessed 10 months ago.
“The second I laid eyes on him I had a really bad anxiety attack and couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
“No time in prison is enough justice for the loss of a child, let alone at the hands of someone else – someone I knew and trusted.”
Miss Roberts said her beloved daughter lit up the world during her short life.
“She had such a heart warming face, with her big brown eyes, gorgeous curls and cheeky grin,” she said.
“She had nothing but love to give, to all creatures great and small.”
“No time in prison is enough justice for the loss of a child, let alone at the hands of someone else – someone I knew and trusted”
- - Anjie Roberts, Bella's mother
Bella had two brothers, Trey, now six, and Jett, now two.
Miss Roberts said all three were extremely close.
“Her eldest brother Trey loved attending her daily tea parties with her teddies,” she said.
“He always looked out for and helped her, they were best friends.
“Her younger brother Jett was the first baby she’d ever met. She could not help enough with him.
“She always wanted to help change, feed and play with him, which gave her a strong motherly nature.
“She cared for her dolls is if they were her own babies – I even caught her trying to breastfeed them sometimes – adorable, I know.”
Miss Roberts said the family had struggled to come to terms with having to say goodbye to Bella and the revelation of Woodford’s crime.
I’m completely broken,” she said.
“It has destroyed each and every one of us. We will never be the same again without our princess.”
Miss Roberts and her sons Jett and Trey have moved to Melbourne. A gofundme account has been set up to help them with a rental deposit and bond.
She said she was grateful to the friend who set up the account and everyone who had assisted.
“There are such beautiful people in this world bringing light to our dark times,” she said.
“I cannot even begin to express how grateful my boys and I are.”
