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'Makes me sick': Dad slams 'disgusting' jail term handed to killer

A grieving father has slammed the six-and-a-half year jail term handed to his young daughter’s killer, labeling the sentence as “disgusting”.

Harley Woodford stood on the stomach of three-year-old Bella Jade Lawrence, inflicting fatal injuries, after the toddler accidentally tripped him at a home in Horsham, Victoria, in 2015.

Woodford, the then-boyfriend of Bella’s mother Anj, punished the three-year-old by standing on her with his 100kg frame, crushing the child.

Bella Lawrence. Picture: 7 News
Bella Lawrence. Picture: 7 News
Bella's father Jonathan Lawrence. Picture: 7 News
Bella's father Jonathan Lawrence. Picture: 7 News

“We will never see her face again, never hear her voice again and never be able to tell her that we love her again,” Bella’s devastated father Jonathan Lawrence said.

“Bella Jade Lawrence will always be in our hearts and our mind, just not in our lives.

“We love you baby.”

Harley Woodford could walk free from jail in second half of 2022. Picture: 7 News
Harley Woodford could walk free from jail in second half of 2022. Picture: 7 News

Woodford’s force ruptured Bella’s liver and damaged her kidneys, but the then-20-year-old sent her to bed with a glass of water and said nothing about his brutal act.

Little Bella died the following afternoon, with Woodford keeping his actions a secret for his protection.

Bella's mother Anj Roberts. Picture: 7 News
Bella's mother Anj Roberts. Picture: 7 News

Seven months after Bella’s death, Woodford confessed what he’d done to police, which made him eligible for a discounted sentence.

“My daughter never made it to (Woodford’s) minimum term that he will be serving which makes me sick,” Mr Lawrence said.

Justice Jane Dixon described Bella as a “defenceless child” when she sentenced Woodford to more than nine years’ jail.

Bella Lawrence. Picture: 7 News
Bella Lawrence. Picture: 7 News

“You were prepared to put your own interests above (Bella’s) welfare,” Ms Dixon said.

Given time already served, Woodford will be eligible for parole in the second half of 2022.

"Today's sentencing will never be enough to put my family at peace of what has happened," Mr Lawrence said.