An Esperance woman is fighting to be released on bail ahead of her sentencing after admitting to faking a long list of disorders and illnesses that she claimed her children were afflicted by.
Sarah Jayne Kelly, 30, repeatedly told doctors her four young children had a raft of medical issues, including ADHD, autism and leukemia, and inserted a feeding tube into one child’s nose which was later removed by doctors after they realised there was nothing wrong.
Esperance mum Sarah Jayne Kelly will be sentenced after pleading guilty to causing her children harm. Her offending relates to a raft of illnesses she faked and claimed the children were afflicted by.
Kelly also told doctors at least one of her children had cerebral palsy, which was a lie, the Perth District Court was told on Thursday.
A GoFundMe page created in February 2021 on Kelly’s behalf raised more than $2000 and stated that one of her children was “re diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), this is the second time within a year his had to battle leukemia, he was diagnosed originally in 2020”.
It also stated: “This time around it’s a lot worse and in September he will require a bone marrow transplant. He’s having regular chemotherapy and will be required to spend a fair amount of time in hospital.”
Kelly was due to be sentenced in the Perth District Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to failing to protect a child from harm, before she put forward an application for bail.
During the same hearing, Kelly also pleaded guilty to a non-appearance in a superior court after she fled the state last year with her children to New South Wales, and failed to appear in an Esperance court to face her charges.
On Thursday, details of Kelly’s “pathological lies” were detailed, including how she underwent a double mastectomy and later a breast reconstruction, telling friends and family she was suffering from breast cancer.
But the court was told she was never diagnosed with the disease, instead undergoing the procedure for “prophylactic reasons” that were unsubstantiated.
The court heard that Kelly told doctors all of her female relatives had passed away and therefore could not be tested for genetic links to breast cancer.
It was later revealed her mother and other female relatives were still alive.
Kelly’s lawyer aired the suggestion she was suffering from psychological disorders including Munchausen syndrome, also known as factitious disorder.
Kelly’s lawyer also indicated her client would plead guilty to a third charge of perverting the course of justice, and that she was facing separate charges in Queensland.
Her application for bail was denied after Judge Laurie Levy told the court he had concerns about her “reoffending against her children” who lived with their father, but Kelly’s lawyer said she was “not burning them with cigarettes” and was a “loving, caring mother”.
The court was also told Kelly suffered from muscle wastage on the left side of her body, which had incapacitated her at her last court appearance, to which Levy replied that she had “remarkably improved” from.
He told the court he would not grant bail on Thursday, instead awaiting reports to assess her suitability of release.
She will be back before the court on August 11.