A woman who murdered a foster child in her care in Central West New South Wales has been sentenced to 26 years and six months in jail.
In February, a Supreme Court judge found the 45-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of murdering the 20-month-old boy near Dubbo in March 2015.
The toddler died after suffering head and stomach injuries, a broken femur and bruising over his body, with the cause of death agreed in court to be a stomach perforation.
The woman lived with her partner and three other children and called triple-0 about 5am on March 23, 2015.
Paramedics arrived 40 minutes later and found the toddler not breathing and without a pulse. He was declared dead at a hospital at 7.30am.
Justice Richard Cavanagh found the woman had assaulted the child and at some point he had vomited in his cot, possibly as a result of his injuries.
Justice Cavanagh said his "significant" injuries could not have been accidental.
The offender has maintained her innocence, making a submission that the stomach perforation "appears to have been from one blow" and that she did not realise "how serious and life-threatening the injury was".
In his sentencing remarks on Thursday, Justice Cavanagh said the "killing of a defenceless child even arising from a temporary loss of control, and without the intention to kill, deserves strong denunciation by this court".
With time already served, the 45-year-old woman was granted a non-parole period of 18 years and will be eligible for release in May 2037.
