Police acknowledge the sentencing of Daniel Wallis today in the Invercargill High Court in relation to the death of Hope McFall-Schultz.
We are able to release a brief statement on behalf of Hope’s mother, as follows.
No further comment will be made, and the family requests privacy going forward.
STATEMENT FROM HOPE’S MOTHER
My daughter Hope was only 5 months old when she was so tragically taken from me in January 2022.
Today is about Hope.
As you have heard in Court she was very much loved and as she was born prematurely she fought so very hard in her short life.
This tragedy has been completely overwhelming and devastating to myself, family members, friends and the community as a whole.
She had the right to expect to be loved and cared by her father however today’s outcome shows clearly he was not capable of this.
Today’s sentencing is another small step on a very long journey for us and no punishment administered by the Justice system will ever allow us to see Hope’s beautiful smile again, nor does it dull the extreme pain we all feel everyday she is not here.
We all miss her so very much.
I want to thank the Dunedin and Invercargill hospital staff who cared for Hope when she was born and for the 3 months after in neonatal care, and the staff at Starship where she passed away.