Tara Maree Richardson, 49, has been released from prison after serving almost three years on remand for the manslaughter of her four-year-old son, Tarrin O'Sullivan, who died in an unused pool on August 29, 2021. She received a five-year suspended sentence following her guilty plea to unlawfully killing Tarrin through negligence and domestic violence. Richardson's inconsistent account of the day led to uncertainty about the exact cause of death, with an autopsy showing signs consistent with immersion but no definitive evidence of drowning. The case highlights concerns raised by child safety officers regarding the living conditions at Richardson’s home before the incident.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In August 2021, Tarrin O'Sullivan, a four-year-old boy from Munbura, south of Mackay in north Queensland, was found unresponsive in his family's unused pool. He died later that night at Mackay Base Hospital after emergency services were unable to revive him. His mother, Tara Maree Richardson, 49, was convicted of manslaughter by way of negligence and given a five-year suspended sentence in March 2023, despite having spent over 1,000 days on remand before her sentencing.
The case garnered attention as child welfare authorities had visited the home previously, expressing concerns about Tarrin's living conditions, including his lack of proper clothing and the overall cleanliness and safety of the house. The court heard these visits took place in the month leading up to Tarrin’s death. Richardson appeared via video link from a Townsville prison during her sentencing at the Supreme Court in Mackay.
Tarrin's father, Andrew O'Sullivan, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and stated his intention to pursue a coronial inquest into his son's death to seek further understanding and justice.
Written for “Child Neglect Sentence” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A Mackay region mother has been freed from prison after being convicted of unlawfully killing her young son, Tarrin O'Sullivan, five years ago.
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mother → free → son
Tara Maree Richardson was handed a five-year suspended sentence for manslaughter after spending almost three years on remand.
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Richardson → hand → remand
Tarrin's father, Andrew O'Sullivan, said he would pursue a coronial inquest into the death of his child.
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he → say → child
The actions of his former partner, the mother of four-year-old Tarrin, still haunt him.
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actions → haunt → him
Tarrin O'Sullivan was found unresponsive in the family's unused pool on August 29, 2021, in Munbura, south of Mackay in north Queensland.
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O'Sullivan → find → Queensland
He was pronounced dead later that night after being taken to Mackay Base Hospital.
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He → pronounce → Hospital
Tara Maree Richardson, 49, was yesterday freed from jail, having been given a five-year suspended sentence for her guilty plea on a charge of domestic violence manslaughter, by way of negligence.
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Richardson → free → negligence
She had spent more than 1,000 days on remand.
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She → spend → remand
Richardson appeared in the Supreme Court in Mackay yesterday via video link from a Townsville prison.
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Richardson → appear → prison
With her head down, Richardson wrote in her notebook as Mr O'Sullivan detailed the impact of their son's death.
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O'Sullivan → write → death
Outside court, Mr O'Sullivan said the court process had provided his family with "no answers".
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process → say → answers
An autopsy report disclosed findings "consistent with immersion" however "classical" signs of drowning were not present, and a definitive cause of death was never identified.
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cause → disclose → death
Justice Christopher Johntsone said Richardson had been inconsistent in her interviews detailing the events on the day Tarrin died, but to the best of the court's knowledge, the afternoon began with him playing while Richardson cleaned the house.
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Richardson → say → house
The court heard the pair was alone in the house from noon.
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pair → hear → noon
Tarrin moved in and out of the house playing with his bike and in his sandpit and somewhere between about 2 and 2:45pm he came inside for a drink.
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he → move → drink
By 4:25pm, the court heard Tarrin did not respond to Richardson's call, and she began searching her own and the neighbour's property.
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she → hear → property
Half an hour later, her then-partner Jason Richardson came home to help the search.
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partner → come → search
He found unresponsive Tarrin in the property's unused pool.
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He → find → pool
Just after 7pm, Tarrin was declared dead at the Mackay Base Hospital.
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Tarrin → declare → Hospital
The court heard Richardson had said she felt "smothered" by her non-verbal, autistic son.
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she → hear → son
The court heard that in the month before Tarrin's death, Department of Child Safety officers visited Richardson's home and raised concerns after seeing the boy only wearing a nappy, about his erratic behaviour, and the cleanliness and safety of the house.
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boy → hear → house
The property's unused "dirty" pool had a fence, but it was not safety compliant and
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it → have → fence
there were toys and items around that could have been used to climb, and Tarrin was known to be able to climb fences.
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Tarrin → be → fences
In a victim impact statement, Richardson's adult daughter, Tayla Richardson, said caring for her children was never her mother's priority.
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caring → say → children
"It is about a pattern I experienced throughout my life, where my mother's own priorities appeared to come before the safety, wellbeing and needs of her own children."
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priorities → experience → children
Justice Johnstone said while the exact mechanism of death was uncertain, "a consistent lack of supervision" contributed.
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lack → say → supervision
"You were overwhelmed as a parent, you were not responding appropriately as a parent and you were not doing all that you were required to do as a mother of a highly vulnerable child," he said.
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he → overwhelm → child
Richardson's barrister Anna Cappellano said mitigating factors in her client's offending included her bipolar disorder diagnosis and having no criminal history.
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factors → say → history
Richardson was arrested more than two years after Tarrin's death and originally charged with murder.
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Richardson → arrest → murder
Before her sentencing yesterday, her charge was downgraded and she subsequently pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
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she → downgrade → manslaughter
In his victim impact statement, Mr O'Sullivan, who was living separately to Richardson at the time of their son's death, said the lower charge was an "insult" to his child's memory.
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charge → live → memory
"The one person that I believe gave up on my son that day was his mother, and it still haunts me and gives me heartache to know that," he said.
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he → believe → that
"I felt there was no justice for my son should Tara Richardson walk free today or in the near future.
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Richardson → feel → future
"She gets to go home and my son will never do that again."
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son → get → that
Justice Johnstone criticised the impact statement for questioning the way justice was administered.
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justice → criticise → way
He later said Richardson was sentenced on the basis that Tarrin's death was a result of neglect "as opposed to something more sinister".
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death → say → something
After the sentencing, Mr O'Sullivan said he would pursue a coronial inquest to try to find more information about his son's death.
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he → say → death
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