Ricky Slater‘s devastated mother says she just wants to see her son one last time.
The 34-year-old died as a result of injuries sustained after he allegedly broke into a Newcastle home last month, the owner of home has been charged with his murder.
“I just want the chance for all my family to pay our last respects and for my parents to see Ricky one last time,” his devastated mother Beryl Dickson told the Daily Mail.
Dickson said she wanted to take her son’s body for an open casket viewing at his grandparent’s house on the NSW mid-coast.
Slater’s father, however, has already made plans to bury him in Tamworth when his body is released by police next month.
“It’s like I’m being accused of trying to steal my son’s body,” Ms Dickson said. ”Let him rest in peace and be farewelled by his loved ones instead of fighting about him.”
Beryl Dickson talks to the media about the death of her son. Post continues after video…
Slater, who has a long criminal history including a previous conviction for raping a teenage girl, died in hospital last month surrounded by his family after being admitted with critical injuries.
They were allegedly inflicted by Ben Batterham during an attempted citizen’s arrest after he found Slater in his house, near the bedroom of his young daughter.
Batterham remains in police custody, but his arrest caused significant outrage in the community — a petition to reduce the charges against him currently has more than 100,000 signatories.
The Newcastle home where Ricky Slater was killed.
Reports about what happened the night Slater died vary, but it's believed a fight broke out in front of the house, after Slater had left, resulting in his life threatening injuries, including a broken neck.
Appearing in front of the Newcastle Local Court last week, his mother said she was heartbroken his three children would grow up without their father.
"They've lost their father, their beautiful father that they haven't seen for years because he was in jail, which has nothing to do with this case," she said. "And he got out, and back with his family, travelling between all of his family and my family. Just to think those little kids are going to grow up without a dad now."