Growing anger over Matthew Scown's sentence in Tyrell Cobb trial

There’s growing anger over the Attorney-General’s decision not to seek a tougher penalty for Matthew Scown, who served only two years for the death of Gold Coast boy Tyrell Cobb.

The four-year-old boy’s mother Heidi Strbak also pleaded guilty to manslaughter while her stepbrother, Daniel Allan, who visited that weekend, also gave evidence in court.

Justice Peter Applegarth asked Mr Allan about what Tyrell had told him, mentioning that Tyrell told him Scown had punched him in the stomach.

“You leave him in the unit with the person who allegedly did it. It didn’t occur to you that, if true, it was a dangerous thing to do?” Justice Applegarth asked.

“I don’t know,” Mr Allan said.

Justice Applegarth asked whether Mr Allan reported what he was told to Ms Strbak.

“No… It was wiped from my head that night,” Mr Allan said.

Justice Applegarth asked why it didn’t enter Mr Allan’s mind to pass on the information, and he told him Tyrell said, “It didn’t hurt, I didn’t cry”.

Tyrell’s grandmother Jan Strbak told the court she was unsuspecting of the boy’s worsening condition, and asked if she ever got the impression he was in “great pain”, she replied, “no”.

No more evidence will be presented.

Justice Applegarth will consider final submissions from the Prosecution and Defence before handing down his decision.

Scown's sentence has been publicly criticised.

His four-year jail term was immediately suspended because he had already served two years in custody.

Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson said the public felt the sentence was “inadequate”.

“What we see is the Attorney-General turning a blind eye and a deaf ear,” he said.

Yvette D’Ath confirmed on Friday that she will not appeal the court’s decision.