[ad_1]
The mother of a pregnant mother-of-two brutally murdered by her estranged partner has blasted him during a furious courtroom takedown.
Michelle Darragh, 32, was expecting her third child when her lifeless body was found at her former partner’s Bayswater North home in Melbourne‘s east on October 9, 2021.
On Monday, her mother Dianne Darragh wished death upon Benjamin Coman, 30, after he pleaded guilty to her daughter’s murder.
Michelle Darragh was savagely murdered by her estranged partner Benjamin Coman, who has pleaded guilty to her murder
Michelle Darragh, 32 (pictured), died at her former partner’s Bayswater North home 28km east of Melbourne’s city centre on October 9
Dianne Darragh (centre) in happier times with her daughter Michelle (left).
Ms Darragh could not contain her rage as she faced her daughter’s killer in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
‘Ben Coman I will make sure your boys know that you are a cold blooded murderer and that you killed their mother,’ she shouted from the front of the court.
Ms Darragh had been in the process of reading her victim impact statement when she turned to face Coman, who was seated in the prison dock at the rear of the court.
The shattered mother and grandmother, who now has full custody of her young grandchildren, aged just 2 and 5, was forced to pause for air before unleashing on Coman again.
‘I will make sure that they hate you forever for depriving them from the life of their loving mother,’ she told Coman.
‘I only wish someone would take your life in the brutal way you took Michelle’s.’
Ms Darragh told the court she hated having to hate someone as hard as she did him.
‘I used to be a caring person, but that’s just another thing you have taken away from me,’ she told Coman.
Michelle, a social worker, had been discovered by her own father lying beside a bloodied pile of clothes with her injured ex-partner beside her, whom he thought was also dead.
She had been stabbed in the back before Coman attempted to take his own life by stabbing himself in the stomach.
Coman was taken to hospital in a critical condition where he remained under police guard until he could be interviewed by homicide detectives.
The couple had recently separated when the mother-of-two returned to the Bayswater North home to collect some of her belongings
Ms Darragh’s heartbroken family said: ‘She lived for her kids and family and always put other people first in front of her own self’
Ms Darragh told Coman his eldest son wished everyday that his mum would knock on her door.
‘The tears this little boy has cried, the real heartbreaking sobs he does is just unbearable to hear and watch,’ she said.
‘He knows his daddy hurt his mummy really bad that’s why she’s not with us anymore, but still that does not stop the pain that these little boys have lost their parents.’
Ms Darragh told Coman she had told his son what he had did to his mother.
‘Which is hard to watch his little face drop and then he says “I really miss mummy. I wish I could take her out of my heart and have her here so I can kiss and cuddle her”,’ she said.
The couple, who once lived at the address with their two young boys, had recently separated after five years together.
The court heard Michelle had caught Coman cheating on her with prostitutes and he had been using the deadly drug ice.
The final straw came after he took $82,500 out of their joint account, which only had $100,000 in it, without telling her and bought a Holden ClubSport 7 sedan.
Michelle had been living with her parents at The Basin when she returned to the Bayswater north home on October 9 to collect some of her belongings.
Her father decided to check on his daughter after he grew concerned when she failed to return home earlier that afternoon.
A neighbour reported Ms Darragh’s dad climbed the back fence when he couldn’t enter through the front door before making the tragic discovery.
Michelle Darragh, 32, was expecting her third child when she was murdered by Ben Coman (left)
Ben Coman (right) was told he would never see his children again
Ms Darragh told Coman he would have no role in his children’s lives when he eventually walked free from jail.
‘I do promise you Ben, you will never see your boys again. If you ever get out I will move countries so that you will never find them, which would be just another thing that you have destroyed in our lives,’ she said.
Ms Darragh told Justice Andrew Tinney she could not understand why Coman was not subject to the death penalty.
‘I really hate you Ben Coman and sometimes I wish my husband did know you were alive so he could have killed you himself for killing our beautiful daughter,’ she said.
Before leaving the witness box, Ms Darragh reiterated how Coman had taking everything from her family.
‘I love her, I cherish her and I will be heartbroken and sad for the rest of my life,’ she said.
In a tragic conclusion, Ms Darragh took a tumble as she returned to her seat within the courtroom, appearing to dislocate her knee.
The heartbroken mother wailed in pain as guards worked to remove Coman from the courtroom.
The matter was stood down for the remainder of the day and is expected to continue on Tuesday.
[ad_2]
Source link
