A Sydney man who murdered his toddler son has been sentenced to more than 28 years in prison by a judge who said he had “perversely and egregiously breached the trust, protection and love” the child deserved.
Nathan Vikatos was handed a non-parole period of 18-and-a-half years for what Justice Paul McGuire described as the tragic, horrific and untimely death of his three-year-old son, Alexi Vikatos, in May 2023.
The NSW Supreme Court heard the 48-year-old was increasingly paranoid about police surveillance and someone taking his son off him in the lead-up, and had been made aware of a domestic violence report made by his partner.
He pleaded guilty to murder in November last year for fatally stabbing Alexi in the bathroom of a Riverwood unit.
Nathan Vikatos has been jailed for killing his toddler son. (ABC News)
In sentencing, Justice McGuire on Friday said the crime was a “monstrous breach” of a father’s duty to care for his son and acknowledged that no jail term of any length could bring a victim back, nor be equated to their life.
“A child of such tender years as Alexi is entitled to feel safe and protected,” he said.
“By killing his own infant child, the offender has perversely and egregiously breached the trust, protection and love that Alexi deserved.”
Father paranoid about police surveillance
The court heard that Alexi’s biological mother died from “unascertained natural causes” in 2021 and Vikatos reconnected with a previous partner, who would later observe him to be agitated and paranoid — falsely — about police surveillance.
She reported to police an assault and threats to kill by Vikatos, who was a methylamphetamine user, and officers spoke to him and said domestic violence allegations were taken extremely seriously.
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Prior to the murder, Vikatos made a comment to her that he did not know where he and his son would live after that day.
He said: “This might be where we part ways, you might not see us again after today.”
Justice McGuire accepted a defence submission that the comment referred to the potential end of the relationship rather than plans to take the boy’s life, as the Crown contended.
A large group of relatives and loved ones packed the St James Road court as the judge relayed the agreed facts in the case, including horrific details of Alexi’s injuries which are too graphic to publish.
Vikatos intended for the crime to be a murder-suicide, the court heard, and after being taken into custody, he asserted that he had brought his son into the world, and he could “take him out of it”.
“I know that I’ll probably get 30 years and come out as an old man, but I’d rather that than have my son given to FACS [Department of Communities and Justice]. No way I was ever going to let that happen,” he was recorded as saying.
‘Lovely little boy’
The family, several of whom previously gave heart-wrenching victim impact statements outlining their grief, has given permission for Alexi to be identified.
Their statements described him as a “lovely little boy” who was deeply loved.
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They condemned the offender’s actions as selfish and inhumane because they had deprived the whole family of future opportunities to watch him grow and develop.
Family members variously described now enduring nightmares, unbearable pain, vivid flashbacks of the funeral and difficulty comprehending the crime.
Justice McGuire said their statements were poignant in outlining the impact and recognised their bravery and composure in providing them to the court.
Father who killed 3yo son to be sentenced
A forensic psychiatrist who spoke with Vikatos believed he met the criteria for a diagnosis for delusional disorder, substance use disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
Vikatos had claimed during an interview that he was in a state of psychosis and had been hearing voices at the time, but the psychiatrist said this was inconsistent with what he said at the scene, what he later told staff at hospital, and his admissions in custody.
Vikatos also told the psychiatrist of issues in his childhood, including a reported background of disadvantage.
But Justice McGuire rejected that account as false after it was contradicted by evidence from his mother, Anna Wilson, who described a loving and supportive environment during his earlier years.
The judge accepted Mrs Wilson’s evidence unreservedly, saying she had impressed him as an honest and reliable witness.
The judge said Vikatos had “guarded” prospects of rehabilitation, and he remained unimpressed by the offender’s “extremely limited” expressions of remorse and contrition.
Vikatos received a 25 per cent discount on sentence for his guilty plea.
He stared at the floor as the judge revealed the sentence, showing little emotion.
With time already served, he will be eligible for parole in 2041.