Mum denies putting son in machine

Mother Kerry Murphy admits she struggled to cope with her son Sean's energy. The toddler died in a closed washing machine. Picture from Channel 9. Source: PerthNow

Perth Now Kerry Murphy (in blue top) leaves the coroners court after inquest into the death of her child. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

THE mother of a young boy who died from being trapped in a washing machine has told a Perth court she did not place him in there and was fast asleep when he climbed in himself.

Kerry Murphy, 27, gave her evidence on the final day of a coronial inquiry into the death of Sean Murphy, 3, who was found in the front-loader machine with his dead pet cat on September 20, 2010.

She claimed she had overslept into the early afternoon and Sean - for the first time since he had become mobile - had not jumped on her to wake her in the morning.peMs Murphy, who was diagnosed as having a borderline personality disorder when she was 18, suggested spring-time asthma and allergies had made her drowsy, and said she was a heavy sleeper.

She was woken by a phone call, she claimed, and noticed the public housing property was quiet, so began frantically searching for her son.

Ms Murphy found Sean ``in a foetal position'', pressed against the rear of the washing machine, and she had to remove the stiff body of the dead cat first before she could get to her son.

She attempted CPR and called 000.

When paramedics arrived, a hysterical Ms Murphy said: ``I've killed my baby.''

She said that because she feared he'd been injured during her resuscitation attempts and because she blamed herself for what happened, Ms Murphy told the court.

``If I'd been awake, he wouldn't have climbed in there,'' she said.

While the washing machine door had been closed after the last load, Sean could have opened it himself and climbed in, she said.

``I could have used one finger to open that door.''

The inquest was shown a photo of the boy some six months earlier, playing ``hide and seek'' in a dryer that was missing its door.

Ms Murphy said she should have explained to her son - who climbed on anything that was ``climbable'' - that hiding there was dangerous.

The inquest heard earlier this week from a neighbour - who admitted he had a falling out with the boy's mother - that he heard yelling, stomping and muffled cries coming from the house hours before Sean died.

Coroner Alastair Hope said there were three possible scenarios that he would consider: the family dog had jumped up and closed the washing machine door shut after the boy had climbed in, Sean had trapped himself inside the machine - pushing the door from the inside so it rebounded and closed - or the mother was involved.

But he had difficulty envisioning how Sean physically could have entered the machine to have wound up in the position in which he was found, and how he could have caused the door to rebound shut given that position.

``These are the practical aspects that are troubling me the most,'' Mr Hope said.

He will hand down his findings on July 19.

Kerry Murphy leaves the Coroner's Court after giving evidence into the inquest into the death of her child. PICTURE: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

Earlier today - mum admits she 'struggled' with her son's energy

Kerry Murphy, 27, made the admission in the final day of a coronial inquiry into the death of Sean Murphy, who was found in the front-loader machine with his dead pet cat on September 20, 2010.

Ms Murphy claimed she overslept until the early afternoon and after being woken by a phone call, realised the public housing property was quiet, so she began a frantic search for her son.

She could not explain why she had slept so long, but suggested spring-time asthma and allergies had made her drowsy.

Ms Murphy found her son "in a fetal position'', pressed against the rear of the washing machine and had to remove the stiff body of the dead cat first before she could get to her son.

She attempted CPR and called triple-zero.

Ms Murphy said she recalled telling paramedics "I've killed him. I've killed my baby''.She explained that comment by saying she was worried she'd injured him during her resuscitation attempts and that she blamed herself for what happened.

"If I'd been awake, he wouldn't have climbed in there,'' she said.

While the washing machine door had been closed after the last load, Sean could have opened it himself and climbed in, she said.

"I could have used one finger to open that door.''

The inquest was shown a photo of the boy some six months earlier, playing "hide and seek'' in a dryer that was missing its door.

Ms Murphy said she would never have encouraged him to play a game with the machine.

"I didn't explain to him that it was dangerous. I should have done,'' she said.

Ms Murphy had earlier told the inquest that she struggled to know how to respond to his behaviour, which she described as active.

"I didn't cope very well with it, but I did the best that I could.''

The inquest was also shown a video of Ms Murphy dropping one of the family's cats in front of their dog, which then attacks it - an incident for which she was later convicted for animal cruelty.

Kerry Murphy leaves the Coroner's Court after giving evidence into the inquest into the death of her child. PICTURE: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

She said it was the cat that was being "vicious'' and that the dog was being "playful''.

The inquest continues.

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