The devastated father of a four-year-old Gold Coast boy has recalled how his son told him "I love you, I miss you" before he died.
Tyrell Cobb was found unconscious at a Biggera Waters home on in 2009 with 70 injuries on his body.
He was later pronounced dead in hospital.
His mother Heidi Strbak, 33, and her ex-partner Matthew Scown, 33, are currently facing a committal hearing at Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with murder.
Tyrell's father Jason Cobb, who split from Strbak in 2008, has told the court he used to phone his little boy every evening around 8pm before he went to bed.
"It was his bedtime and I would say goodnight to him," Mr Cobb said.
Mr Cobb said the last time he spoke to Tyrell, his son had "sounded normal" and did not appear to have been vomiting or having trouble breathing.
"He said 'I love you dad, I miss you'."
Mr Cobb said that during a previous visit Tyrell told him Mr Scown had "slapped him on the head".
This information was reportedly missing from Mr Cobb's original statement to police, but the father described himself as being "messed up" at the time, saying "it was really hard for me."
Tyrell was taken to hospital the week before his death with an injured arm and was kept in for five days after medics found he also had an infected wound on his finger.
Paediatric expert Professor Roy Kimble has said the boy would have been in severe pain but could have made a "full recovery" if he had been taken to hospital sooner.
"He certainly had a lot of bruises around his body, much more than would be expected in normal childhood play," Mr Kimble said.
"Obviously this child has had more than one blow to the abdomen, this child has had many blows to cause all the bruises on the body."
Strbak and Scown claimed his many injuries had been caused by falls or accidents.