The boy died in a Sydney hospital after being attacked by his mother Gunn-Britt Ashfield and her de facto Austin Hughes.

The pair were jailed in 1994.

Ashfield and Hughes concocted a story about John and his brother being attacked by a gang of teenagers while walking from the shops through Lyrebird Park, even fronting the media and forcing a young boy to go along with the story.

However, they were soon arrested for the little boy’s murder and both pleaded guilty to his killing before being sentenced to 21 years behind bars.

The sentences were reduced on appeal to 19 years, with a minimum of 14 to be served before being eligible for parole.

Ashfield, who changed her name to Angelic Karstrom, was released on parole in 2011.