Shock as boy, 11, murdered by father at cricket practice

A mother has spoken of her shock after her estranged husband killed their 11-year-old son at cricket practice near Melbourne in front of horrified onlookers.

Luke Batty was beaten after training on Wednesday.

His father was shot by police as they tried to subdue him, and he later died in hospital.

"His father approached him and attacked him - we believe using a cricket bat and also a knife," reported Sky's Australia correspondent, Jonathan Samuels.

"He died at the scene in front of his friends, some of his friends' parents, and indeed, his own mum who was only metres away."

It is believed the father suffered from mental health problems.

Speaking to reporters, Luke's mother Rosie said "Luke came to me and said, 'Could I have a few more minutes with my dad?' because he doesn't see him that often and I said, 'Yeah sure, OK.'"

"The very tragic thing about this is the father's life … was tragic, and based on court appearances and other challenges in his life that we couldn’t help him with and neither could anyone else.

"No-one loved Luke more than Greg, his father."

She made an impassioned and tearful appeal for others to be aware of the dangers of family violence.