Cody Hutchings was a five-year-old Australian boy beaten to death by his mother's drug-addicted partner, Stuart John McMaster, in 2006. McMaster carried out an eight-week campaign of abuse that left Cody with multiple bruises and massive injuries. After this, Cody died.
McMaster received a prison term of 10 years for manslaughter as a result of a plea bargain after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a change of murder.
Cody had Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by a distinctive, "elfin" facial appearance, along with a low nasal bridge; an unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers, coupled with unpredictably occurring negative outbursts; mental retardation coupled with unusual (for persons who are diagnosed as mentally retarded) language skills; a love for music; and cardiovascular problems, such as supravalvular aortic stenosis and transient hypercalcaemia.
In 2007, Victorian Premier John Brumby announced plans to introduce a bill to make killing a child an offence separate from manslaughter.
The unofficial title for the law will be "Cody's Law", in honour of Cody.
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