Brodie Tull and Starr Light Cahill await fate after being found guilty of two counts of criminal neglect against twin boys
The mother of the twin boys who were found with horrific rib fractures said she wants to get her tubes tied, while both parents still deny causing the injuries.
The mother of twin boys who were found with horrific rib fractures said she wants to get her tubes tied so she doesn’t have any more children.
Starr Light Cahill, 29, and Brodie Tull, 24, await their fate from custody after still denying they caused the injuries or knowing how they occurred.
Michael Foundas, prosecuting, told the court in the trial opening that the couple’s twin boys were born on March 8, 2022.
One of the twins presented at the Murray Bridge hospital on May 29, 2022.
An examination by an expert forensic pediatrician revealed the boy had 33 recent rib fractures, signs of 18 older rib fractures, a laceration to his liver, bruising and an older leg fracture.
“On the prosecution case, (the boy) had been the victim of at least one recent and one older occasion of deliberate inflictions of force, particularly to his chest,” Mr Foundas said.
The court heard a medical examination found the other twin had 13 recent rib fractures and signs of 24 older rib fractures.
The couple claimed to police either their dog, by sitting on twins’ chest, or Ms Cahill’s daughter mishandling the babies is what caused the injuries.
They were found guilty by a jury of two counts of criminal neglect.
On Tuesday, Mr Foundas told the court a doctor rejected those potential explanations during the trial.
Adam Richards, for Tull, told the court his client did not admit to hurting his children or that he was aware they were badly injured and if that meant a longer sentence “so be it”.
“Even a medical practitioner was not able to ascertain what the state of the injuries to the child was,” he said.
“How then is that my client, a layperson, never before being a parent would be able to perceive those things?”
Mr Richards said Tull was able to handle jail and the abuse he was getting but his biggest worry was how he could make it up to his children.
“Nothing equals the loss of the children and nothing equals how he feels about the fact that he judges himself for not protecting the boys,” he said.
Julia Davey, for Cahill, pushed for a suspended or home detention sentence, saying her client similarly did not cause the injuries to the twins or saw Tull cause them.
Ms Davey said Cahill had an intellectual disability which played a role in her ability to identify and problem solve what was going on with the twins and fulfil the full requirements of being a parent.
“Ms Cahill does want to have tubes tied essentially so she doesn’t have any more children,” she said.
Judge Ian White will sentence the duo at a later date, asking Mr Foundas to obtain an update on the boys’ physical health and whether it was compromised by the injuries.
