Lukasz Czapla has been jailed after being found guilty of murdering his two-year-old son at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The 41-year-old was on trial for killing Julius Czapla at an address in Muirhouse, Edinburgh, in November 2020.
The two-week hearing ended with a jury unanimously finding Czapla guilty of murder before he was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison before parole.
Lord Beckett, addressing Czapla, said: “You have been found guilty of murdering your two-year-old son.
He concluded Czapla “acted out of spite to kill the child to get back at his mother.”
The boy's mother, Patrycja Szczesniak, said that her "world stopped" after the death.
In a statement after the sentence, she addressed her son and said: "I only wanted the best for you. If only I could only turn back time to have you in my arms again my child."
She added that the toddler was murdered "only for revenge".
"Despite the breakup with Juliusz's dad, I wanted him to have contact with our son," she said. "I never stopped him seeing Juliusz. Julek loved him like every child loves their dad. He trusted him, he trusted him completely.
"Juliusz was murdered only for revenge. His dad wanted me to suffer, he succeeded and achieved his goal, at the cost of my beloved little boy’s life.
"If only I knew what was going to happen. I would have never thought he could do this to my child. He was only two and a half."
In her heart-wrenching statement, she added that she "feels his fear and pain every day".
"I wish I could hug him, play with him and watch him grow," she continued. "He not only took Juliusz life but my life too.
"That day, the world stopped, not only for me but also for my mother and my sister."
Ms Szczesniak vowed to fight to ensure "that monster never leaves prison".
"There was so much we wanted to show him but this chance was brutally taken from us and now the only thing we can do is to prey for the highest possible punishment.
"We want to believe in the justice system and that justice will be served, although I know there is no sentence that will bring my angel back to life."
Lukasz Czapla was previously found guilty of nine other charges on the indictment, including dangerous driving offences and possession of an air gun.
Sentences for each of these will run concurrently with his life sentence, the court heard.
The mother added: "Czapla should not have the right to any defence and we will fight to ensure that monster never leaves prison.
"My suffering and my pain will stay with me for the rest of my life. But the unconditional love I have for my baby; my dearest child Juliusz will never end."
Detective Inspector Bob Williamson also paid tribute to the child as he assured that Czapla was now "facing the consequences of his actions".
He said: "Julius was a bright, happy young boy and his loss in such horrendous circumstances has been devastating for his mother and his family. Lukasz Czapla is now facing the consequences of his actions.
"The outcome of this case will never bring Julius back but it does bring this aspect to a close. Julius’s family have understandably asked for privacy during this difficult time.
"I would like to thank the local community and our dedicated team of officers, along with our partner agencies, who assisted throughout the duration of the investigation."
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