Pictured at left is a photo of little Daniel Valerio as a baby – what is different about this photo of him is that he is smiling, happy…and alive. A much better known image of Daniel was taken of him just a short time before he was beaten to death in 1990 by his mother’s boyfriend, Paul Leslie Aiton, a towering sadistic thug who caused such damage to the two year old child’s body that his internal organs were reduced to pulp.
Daniel was murdered in his own home while his mother, Cheryle Butcher, went out one day and left her defenceless child and his brother at the mercy of her mindless savage of a boyfriend – a man she incredibly went on to marry not long after after he murdered her child. Daniel’s torment at the hands of Aiton was known to health workers and even police and yet no charges were laid, his mother never bothering to take the steps required to rid her children of the danger her lover posed each day she allowed him to remain living in her home. Daniel paid for such appalling adult incompetency with his own precious little life. Aiton was sentenced to 22 years prison and today has walked free, three years short of serving his full term. No legislation exists that can force him to remain behind bars to serve his full sentence.
Pictured at left is the image of Daniel Valerio that Australians are more familiar with; the bruised and battered face of an innocent toddler who had suffered unspeakable torture at the hands of a vicious brute. His right collar-bone misshapen after being previously broken, his arms and body bruised, eyes swollen and blackened – how could any caring mother ignore such damage to her own child…?
Shortly after this photo was taken Daniel was killed by Paul Aiton.
During his time in prison Paul Aiton has been able to marry his girlfriend – a woman with a young daughter – and he has been able to organise the purchase of his ‘dream home’ in the farming community of Crowlands, near Ararat In Victoria – Daniel Valerio meanwhile remains dead, twenty-one years later his life remains extinguished with just these heartbreaking photo’s left to remind us that he once lived, breathed and deserved to live. Today, twenty-one years later, Daniel lies buried with his maternal grandmother in Rye cemetery – the gravestone does not bear his name.
But only Paul Leslie Aiton, the man who killed him and has walked away from Margoneet Correctional Centre near Lara in Victoria, has the privilege to do that for himself from today.
Child Killer Paul Aiton leaves prison.
Related posts:
- Two year old Daniel Valerio’s killer Paul Aiton to be released after serving just 18 years for his murder.
- Paul Leslie Aiton: he killed a two year old child and has been repaid in prison with comfort and privilege. So who gives a damn about little Daniel Valerio today…? certainly not the Victorian Government!
- Daniel Valerio: the little Australian boy whose horrific death changed the law about reporting child abuse.
- Ricky Preddy, killer of ten year old Damilola Taylor, freed from prison after only four years.
- John Ashfield: While his killer Austin Allan Hughes walks free Gunn-Britt Ashfield enjoys media anonymity
Only twenty years for killing a 2 year after having physically abused him over an extended period?
Your joking right? I was 17 at the time this tragedy happenned and with kids of my own now I can only hope that there is a dark alley somewhere in the near future waiting for this sicko some real karma still coming….
Many Australian women will remember this little boy being featured in the Woman’s Weekly and Woman’s Day magazines back when this happened, both ran the full story about him and I remember the outrage from the public back then.
You have to be joking, a dream home in Crowlands! That is an old farmhouse, with a few olds sheds around. Crowlands is now cut off from the world as a few hours ago our bridges both collapsed. This guy did his time, what happened to Daniels Mum? Knowing her baby was being bashed.. she got off! Who took the photos, then let him go back for more. They got no time for negligence either. I reckon let the guy live in peace. The parole board obviously rckon he has reformed and has no anger issues, and that is what caused this. I was bashed by my X hubby, anbd he got away with beating me to almost within an inch of my life, yet he got away with it every time…. This guy was a fraction worse, his victim was a child.
If he got away with it it was because you stayed with him. Aiton needs a noose.
I didn’t stay with him Wendy, got out as soon as I could, financially able to rent a home, as womans refuges back then wouldn’t allow male children! Go figure! So I left….thats why my kids are alive. He ended up with all our assetts too. Never a day behind bars.
On the main topic, I was one of the nurses that reported Daniels abuse and he was still sent home. One of the cops said that kids can drive anyone nuts! The mum said she’d leave…well obviously, she was one of hundreds that couldn’t go to a womans refuge because she had male children! Thanks to pages like this, there goes all our feeling of security as well, not from Aiton, but the vigilante groups!
Why be involved with such a thug in the first place…? it is excuse after excuse from women like Butcher as to why they did not kick their thug murdering boyfriends to the kerb before their children got killed.
The cycle of abuse is an awful thing. The men are often charming and the “thug” side may not be seen for some time. However, in this time they have managed to isolate the mother and wear down any confidence in themselves and they feel like they don’t deserve any better. It is such a hard thing to do – leave, because they are scared! People are so quick to judge! Butcher is disgusting though, marrying him after killing her child. That is a different story entirely. However there are too many comparisons made that all abused women are like Butcher!
I agree entirely with this comment. Butcher was an abused woman, but she was also an enabler, selfish to the bone and without a conscience. Not all abused woman are the same & most do not “choose” to stay, they have been isolated from support networks and emotionally manipulated and controlled. Our child protective agencies need a complete overhaul though, and no child with bruising like this little boy’s, should EVER be ignored. Plus, his 4 yr old brother was too young to have known how to lie about the abuse, he also should never have been ignored. That is the scariest thing about this, after the actual abuse & death. That our support services are so often ineffectual. More trained personnel and Government funding is needed for better qualified child protection workers, to protect every section of our community from monsters like Paul Aiton. Keep speaking out, and be careful who you vote for.
To right he needs a noose wendy and a bit of softening up before hand,what this prick got away with is an absolute fucking discrace,and the other piece to this sickening story is i recently read that poor daniel was buried with his maternal grandmother and there’s no mention of daniel at the grave site,this fuckin infuriates me to the core, this poor little boy had a horrible life for 2 years and couldn’t even get grave site to honour him.This piece of shit aiton has had a business going on outside while he was in this bullshit prison system,he should be made to pay for a grave site for daniel and i hope aiton is living in some fucking shithole.
You are crazy, and wearing rose-coloured glasses. I only stayed until I could get away, with the kids and in safety. When a guy threatens to kill, you do what he says. I left as soon as I could, but he was a lovely guy until we had the kids. Then the control freak arrived. He has since had counselling and is ok now…but I never went back. I’m the one with the physical scars, he has our properties. I wouild never condone what that thug did to Daniel, but I do know that after 18-19 years of therapy, just PERHAPS he is different, for his step-daughters sake I hope so. The parole board knew about hte stepdaughter. Simon…love your grasp of grammar! Why don’t you use all your energy to start gathering money for a headstone like the community did back in the 90′s, gave it to Daniels Mum for his Funeral expenses…there were thousands of dollars raised for this and she obviously has used it for something else.
It is well noted that Aiton has not yet shown a scrap of remorse for what he did – he has not said a word of apology to Daniel’s surviving family. No way can a person like this be ‘cured’ – once a child killer always a child killer, how on earth do you ever trust such an individual ever again?
For people like Aiton rehabilitation/therapy should never be on the cards – they should never walk free ever again. He killed a child – he should be caged for the rest of his life…at the very least. For his ‘step-daughters sake’…? I hope for her own sake she is nowhere near that beast and her mother.
I am not crazy – I’ve never allowed a vicious thug to kill a child of mine…so your choice of words is interesting.
In most cases, men who have lived a life like Paul Aiton, and have his anger issues and his ability to abuse and murder an innocent child, can never be rehabilitated. But beyond that line of reasoning is the fact he took this little life and made 2 children (at least), suffer shocking abuse and terror for most, or all of their lives. Unforgivable. This “thing” should never have walked free. A total disgrace.
Norma, how will anyone know if Aiton is over his ‘anger issues’ until he hears a crying child somewhere? he has been in prison for 19 years and not around kids and yet they say he is over his issues? he killed a little kid for gods sake why should he rate any consideration at all! he should have hung and so should have that bitch of a mother, no excuse ever for not protecting your own child. Would she have let a dog rip her kid to pieces in front of her? probably.
My kids live with their mum during the week and weekends with me, if I found out some boyfriend of hers had moved in and was knocking my kids around I’d kill him and knock her senseless for allowing it. Too many adults here making excuses for this piece of excrement and the mother.
Men who kill children are a ‘fraction worse’ than those who beat women? what planet are you on Norma! for one thing children are completely and utterly defenceless and have no choice as to where they live or who lives with them because their mothers are allowed to decide that, children cannot escape or defend themselves. Women on the other hand CAN escape, they CAN lift a hand to protect themselves, they CAN choose who lives with them and they so often in these cases invite scumbags to move in with them after knowing them for a matter of hours or even days, so how can you say killing a defenceless child is only a fraction worse than hitting a woman? I abhor men who abuse women but please, most women can do something about what happens to them, but to do nothing about what is happening to your child? killing a child is a million times worse than punching a woman.
Norma please. Shut the fuck up. If you were beaten as an adult it was, at some level, your choice. This baby had no choice. Don’t you dare compare yourself to this child. Your thinly veiled defense of this murdering prick beggars the question, what kind of woman are you?
As I have said earlier, why is it that these men are only ever defended by women – and very sick women at that…?
Scum like Aiton get no sympathy from other men.
…or some girlfriend of yours John.
OH NORMA, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! You claim to have been abused for years yet you belive your ex and Alton are reformed? Why would you? Are you sooo gullable that you belive everything people say including the preditors or are you so alone with no strong support of family and friends that you would rather keep the peace and deny the truth. obiously your ex was a preditor and the fact he also took hold of your properties confirms it. You have been left in a weak state of mind…why are you even in this site?
How sad; what an injustice for little daniel.
I remember this well, The Time Mag. featured Daniel’s story, was just thinking of him after last nights Sixty Minutes Program. Now the senstence is 33 years for child murder then 18year and now out. What is wrong with our Justic System? Take another life and yours should be taken, I do not believe in C.P. but should have life in prison.Never to be released.
I believe in capitol punishment for the murder of a child – absolutely.