When Gunn-Britt Ashfield and her boyfriend Austin Allan Hughes set about systematically bashing her six year old son, John, to death in 1993 she ignored her child’s pleas for mercy. For two and a half hours as they beat the defenceless little boy with a hammer, among other humiliations, they ignored his cries and screams until he could cry and scream no longer. And this was all carried out in front of John’s siblings who were powerless to help him being so young themselves. Gunn-Britt – or Angelic Karstrom as she now calls herself – was sentenced to a pathetic 19 years in prison, but she is now set to walk free after serving only 18 of those years. Austin Allan Hughes is already enjoying his freedom as he was released from custody two years ago and is now living in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
Gunn-Britt Ashfield: the fake tears in front of the media, 1993
For many years the Australian media was banned from publishing the name of this woman but few people will ever have forgotten the name or the face of this woman who beat her own child to death in such a premeditated and sustained manner. Nobody will forget her blaming his injuries on an attack by local children, and how she faked distress – unconvincingly – in front of the media soon before the horrible truth emerged. And certainly someone who will not forget is John’s sister Melissa. This amazing young woman has been the voice of the little brother she saw destroyed in front of her own eyes back in that house in Nowra in 1993. Melissa was there as they killed him, she was there when they announced the decision to release Austin Allan Hughes and she was there when the conditions of Gunn-Britt’s parole were read out in court yesterday. Eighteen years has not dulled the pain she felt then and continues to feel at the injustice of it all, eighteen years has not clouded the memories the public still hold about this atrocious crime against a helpless little boy. Nobody will forget six year old John Ashfield and what happened to him.
Melissa Ashfield wont let that happen – when the parole conditions were announced she shouted ‘Rot in hell!’ to the woman who killed her little brother…she said it for John and her family, and she certainly said for us. Still fighting after so long for justice for the little brother she loves – an incredible young woman indeed.
Related posts:
- Anjelic Karstrom applies for parole: this woman must stay in prison for the rest of her life.
- John Ashfield: While his killer Austin Allan Hughes walks free Gunn-Britt Ashfield enjoys media anonymity
- Will the Australian courts forget what happened to little John Erik Ashfield…?
- Gunn-Britt Ashfield (Angelic Karstrom) denied parole – for now
- Why Karen Matthews reminded me of a little Australian boy named John Ashfield.
And what people had to say…