Audio of father Henry Shepherdson’s 149 illegal calls from prison in months before he killed baby daughter Kobi Shepherdson played in court

Sickening audio of phone calls Henry David Shepherdson made from prison months before he killed himself and his nine-month-old baby has been played to a coronial inquest.

The 38-year-old jumped from the Whispering Wall at the Barossa Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide, with his daughter Kobi Anastasia Isobel Shepherdson strapped to his chest in a baby carrier on April 21, 2021.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Audio of Henry Shepherdson’s illegal calls in months before killing baby Kobi played in court.

South Australian Deputy Coroner Ian White on Tuesday opened an inquest into their deaths.

While in prison Shepherdson made 149 calls to Kobi’s mother, Jenna Hutchins — each one in breach of an intervention order (IVO), the inquest heard on Thursday.

He was in custody for threatening to kill Kobi and Hutchins, with the phone conversations used to intimidate Hutchins into dropping those domestic violence charges.

He told Hutchins he could not be the father he wanted to be while facing those charges, and if they went to trial he would have to make her look like a liar.

Shepherdson asked Hutchins not to tell anyone about their conversations, which she complied with as she hoped he could be a father to Kobi.

Earlier this week, the inquest heard Shepherdson had a history of violence, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental health issues.

He met Hutchins, a defence force member, on a dating app late in 2019 and she fell pregnant within a month, counsel assisting Martin Kirby said.

After the couple moved in together, Shepherdson began verbally abusing her.

It worsened, and Shepherdson was arrested in December 2020 and charged with false imprisonment and threatening to kill Hutchins and Kobi.

He was remanded in custody and an intervention order banned any contact with the mother and child.

In January 2021, Hutchins started receiving calls from Shepherdson in prison.

“Mr Shepherdson called and spoke with Ms Hutchins 149 times,” Kirby said.

“And that’s 149 crimes,” White commented.

Shepherdson gave Hutchins specific instructions on how to drop the charges, the court heard.

“Once Your Honour hears these calls, you will be asked to classify them as showing highly manipulative behaviour by Mr Shepherdson towards her, and ultimately that he was successful in his strategy of illegally contacting her and having her do what he wanted,” Kirby said.

None of the calls were known to police, prosecutors, or the courts, and Hutchins was vulnerable, distressed and without family support nearby, Kirby said.

In February 2021, she signed a form to have the charges withdrawn.

Shepherdson was released from prison and, in March, police found him hiding in Hutchins’ bathroom.

He was returned to custody and a week later pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the intervention order and was sentenced to six days in prison.

Hutchins told police she wanted the intervention order to remain. But weeks later, she signed another form to vary conditions so there could be contact.

On April 21, 2021, Shepherdson appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court and, through his lawyer, asked if the intervention order could be varied, Kirby said.

The prosecutor conducted checks on police systems and agreed to remove the non-contact conditions.

On the same day, Shepherdson arranged to spend time with Kobi.

That afternoon, he travelled to the 34m-high Whispering Wall and, with Kobi strapped to his chest in a child carrier, climbed over the railing and jumped.

“From the first report by Ms Hutchins in October 2020, both SA police and the Department of Correctional Services were aware and had access to records demonstrating Mr Shepherdson’s past history, his history of violence, breaching court orders and his poor mental health,” Kirby said.

“I want to emphasise Ms Hutchins was a caring and diligent mother suffering intense mental and sometimes physical abuse from Mr Shepherdson.”

The inquest will try to answer many questions, including how Shepherdson was accessing opioids from his GP, Kirby said.

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