A Perth mother jailed for starving her teenage ballerina daughter has been denied bail after failing to convince a judge she should be released due to an unfair trial. The woman, who cannot be named to protect her daughter's identity, argued that the trial constituted a miscarriage of justice because she fell ill part-way through the proceedings.
However, Supreme Court Justice Robert Mazza ruled there was no evidence she was unable to adequately follow proceedings during her absence from the courtroom. The mother had complained of feeling unwell during the 2024 trial, leading to an adjournment on October 29. When she failed to appear the next day, the judge threatened an arrest warrant unless a medical certificate was provided. A doctor cited a gastrointestinal illness, but the trial judge refused further adjournment and arranged for the mother to watch from another room while a social worker gave evidence.
The mother was convicted alongside her husband earlier this year for failing to provide adequate nutrition, medical attention, and emotional support to their then-teenage daughter. The girl weighed just 28 kilograms when her parents reluctantly took her to hospital in 2021, days before her 17th birthday. Doctors warned the couple that her dangerously low weight put her at imminent risk of death.
The father was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail, while the mother received a five-year term. Both parents have appealed their convictions and sentences, but only the mother sought bail. Justice Mazza noted that the mother's lawyer failed to substantiate any 'exceptional reasons' for her release, though he found it 'unusual to say the least' for an accused not to be physically present for the entirety of a trial.
During the trial, District Court Judge Linda Black described the parents' actions as 'simply unfathomable' and found they had shown no remorse. Shocking photographs of the emaciated teen, taken by her ballet teachers who raised the alarm, showed her bones protruding from baggy leotards. Evidence revealed the parents had lied about her age when enrolling her in ballet, suggesting she was two years younger, and had infantilised her, sitting her on their lap and singing Wiggles songs in hospital. The girl was unable to perform basic self-care activities and was taken into state care after her parents refused to allow a feeding tube.
Judge Black concluded that the mother 'didn't want her to grow up' and that both parents were selfish and 'wilfully blind' to their daughter's predicament, prioritising themselves despite professing to love her.
