Goodstart Early Learning Edmonton employee Dionne Batrice Grills to appear in Court in April

The trial date for former Goodstart Early Learning Edmonton employee Dionne Batrice Grills has been set and witness from custody has been requested.

THE trial of former Goodstart Early Learning Edmonton employee Dionne Batrice Grills is scheduled to begin in the Cairns Supreme Court on April 11, 2022.

In September, a fresh manslaughter charge was brought against Ms Grills after three-year-old Maliq (Meeky) Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo was found dead in a minibus that was parked out the front of Hambledon State School in Edmonton about 3.15pm in the afternoon.

Meeky was found in the second row of the bus where it was alleged he was left there for almost six hours on February 18, 2020 while the city was in the middle of a heatwave reaching temperature of 34C a day.

Goodstart Early Learning employee Dionne Batrice Grills, 34, (centre). Ms Grills has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a three-year-old boy who was found in a hot van at Edmonton. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

Meeky had been attending the daycare for almost eight months prior to the tragedy.

Meeky’s family were very close-knit.

After his death, Meeky’s mother Muriel Namok told the Cairns Post her young son had brought lots of happiness.

“My boy brought so much joy and laughter with his cheeky smiles and little boy mischief I sorely miss,” Ms Namok said.

Ms Grills was an employee at the centre of the time.

In January 2021 she had her manslaughter charge discharged by Magistrate Kevin Priestly before it was reinstated in September.

Ms Grills did not appear for the mention at the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Aaron Dunkerton ordered for one of the witnesses to be produced from custody on the day.

Originally published as Goodstart Early Learning Edmonton employee Dionne Batrice Grills to appear in Court in April