John Torney leaves court a free man after being found not guilty of murder on Thursday. Credit:Carmel Zaccone/Sunraysia Daily She had lost between a quarter and a third of her total blood volume as a result of her fatal injuries, which a pathologist likened to those seen in high-speed car crashes. Her liver was split in several places. There are strong parallels with the murder of Jaidyn​ Leskie, the Moe toddler who was killed in 1997. The children in both cases lived in regional Victorian cities.

Nikki Francis-Coslovich's body was found in the roof space of her Mildura home. In both cases the boyfriend of the child's mother was accused of murder, and was acquitted. No one has since been charged with Jaidyn's murder, and no one else will be charged with Nikki's murder unless fresh evidence comes to light. supplied pic of john torney august 28/2015 Mr Torney, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, nevertheless admitted he had hidden Nikki's 15 kilogram body in the roof cavity of her mother's Mildura home.

But his defence against the murder charge essentially came down to one argument: Ms Francis did it. Nikki's mother Peta-Ann Francis leaves court on Thursday. Credit:Carmel Zaccone/Sunraysia Daily Three days after he was charged, Mr Torney told detectives Ms Francis had killed her little girl in a rage and he had hidden Nikki's body to protect his girlfriend. Ms Francis' character was dragged through the mud in court. supplied pic of street scene of dead girl in mildura pic was taken by Megan Frankel-Vaughan, Sunraysia Daily. Credit:Megan Frankel-Vaughan/Sunraysia Daily

Mr Torney's barrister Julie Condon said Ms Francis was not "functional" and that: "normal is not really a word that I'd use when it comes to Peta-Ann Francis". There was much the jury wasn't allowed to know. Peta-Ann Francis at the funeral of her daughter Nikki. Credit:Carmel Zaccone/Sunraysia Daily They were not told of Mr Torney's anger management issues, accusations he had been violent to an ex-girlfriend or of his alleged ice use. Nor were they told of a particularly troubling incident aired in a pre-trial hearing, in which a neighbour recounted how he had gone to Mr Torney and Ms Francis' home the day before Nikki died, and heard Mr Torney lean over to the girl, who was crying, and say "Shut the f--- up you little c---".

The jury took a day and a half to acquit John Torney. Credit:Carmel Zaccone/Sunraysia Daily "Oh, she does my head in this one," Mr Torney allegedly told the neighbour, Jermayne Kennedy, when he came into the house. "Sometimes I feel like belting the s--- out of her." Peta-Ann Francis in front of Mildura Magistrates Court, Mildura. Picture: Daniella White/Sunraysia Daily Credit:Daniella White/Sunraysia Daily Why were they not told of this?

Because Mr Torney – no matter what people might think of him based on what they have seen and read about the case – had the right to a fair trial. Even though he has been convicted in the court of popular opinion, a jury of his peers found he had no case to answer. Now that he has been acquitted of both murder and manslaughter, Mr Torney must be presumed innocent, unless new and compelling evidence comes to light. Loading And the same holds true for Ms Francis.

With Daniella White, Genevieve Gannon, AAP