Stacie Renee Dutaillis sentenced in court for the manslaughter of Jerome Banu
A Queensland teen died after a woman gave him and other children at her home opioid pain medication saying it would ‘make them high’. But she will be out of prison next year with the teen’s family blasting her sentence as “no kind of justice”.
Police & Courts
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The mother of a Queensland teen who died after a woman gave him a restricted opioid pain medication says a seven-year prison sentence was “no kind of justice”.
Stacie Renee Dutaillis was 36 years old when she was caring for seven children at her home on Malcolm Street, North Mackay, on the evening of September 29, 2021, the Supreme Court in Rockhampton heard on December 21.
Among the children was 15-year-old Jerome Banu.
The court heard Jerome did not have a fixed address at the time.
Justice Graeme Crow said Dutaillis entered the bedroom the children were in with her prescription tramadol pills.
Dutaillis had been prescribed tramadol for severe ankle pain and the court heard there were at least 80 pills in the house at the time of the offence.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis told the children the pills were “speed based” and they would “make them high”.
He said Dutaillis gave six of the children a single tramadol pill before taking a number of the pills herself and going to bed.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis failed to ensure the remaining tramadol pills were removed from the children’s access.
“There is no suggestion you forced the children to take the pills,” he said.
He said the children found the pills in the house and at one point one of the children and Jerome had a competition to see who could consume the most pills.
“It was estimated by children at the scene that Jerome had taken about 18-20 pills that night, one of which was provided by you,” he said.
About 1am to 1.15am the following morning, Jerome started vomiting “chunky red substance”, including blood, and having seizures.
‘DID NOT SEEK MEDICAL HELP FOR JEROME’
Justice Crow said Dutaillis came into the room, rolled Jerome to his side and hit him in the back, encouraging him to vomit.
“At no time did you seek medical assistance for Jerome,” he said.
He said Jerome wanted to get back into bed and that shortly before 10.20am on September 30, 2021 he was found not breathing.
He said Dutaillis started CPR on Jerome and that one of the children called an ambulance.
WOMAN LIED TO EMERGENCY CREWS
Justice Crow said Dutaillis took over the phone and told the operator she did not know what happened.
“That statement was a lie,” he said.
“You instructed the children to inform emergency services that the children snuck down to the park and got something from there.”
When emergency services arrived on scene Dutaillis was crying.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis yelled at Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Police Service that they were incompetent.
He said she repeated the same lie she had told the children to police, stating, “How would I know what they have taken as they have snuck out”.
He said Dutaillis told police she was prescribed tramadol and that there was none missing.
POLICE PHOTOGRAPHED FIVE EMPTY BOXES OF DRUG AT SCENE
Justice Crow said police photographed five empty boxes of tramadol at the scene.
Jerome was taken to Mackay Base Hospital and was pronounced dead on October 1, 2021.
The cause of Jerome’s death was a hypoxic brain injury caused by tramadol intoxication.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis was arrested in Brisbane on April 27, 2022 and maintained the same lie, saying “I didn’t give them anything”.
Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said Dutaillis owed Jerome a duty of care.
“She grossly failed,” she said.
Justice Crow said victim impact statements from Jerome’s sister, mother and grandmother “say what one would expect”.
“They very much miss their brother, son and grandson,” he said.
“He was a significant and important part of their life.”
Dutaillis was born in Mackay and her defence barrister, Alastair McDougall, said she had low intellect and was remorseful.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis had reported sexual assault.
He also said she had her first child at 18.
Justice Crow said Dutaillis had been diagnosed as suffering from a substance abuse disorder and adjustment disorder, as well as having “multiple conditions of ill health”.
Dutaillis entered a guilty plea on October 30 to manslaughter.
“The life of a child has been lost,” Justice Crow said.
‘ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO TAKE THEM UNFORGIVABLE’
“You had prescription painkillers, they were opioid based, you should have known that.
“You should have known they were slow release and therefore taking deliberate actions to encourage the children to take them is unforgivable.
“You attempted to have the children cover for you and cover your tracks, which was extremely evil.
“It was extremely callous conduct.”
Justice Crow sentenced Dutaillis to seven years prison, with parole eligibility on August 26, 2024 and declared 603 days of pre-sentence custody as time already served.
After Dutaillis was sentenced, a member in the public gallery yelled out, “I hope you rot in hell”.
Jerome’s sister, mother and grandmother wore matching shirts to court with Jerome’s face, artwork and didgeridoo.
His mother, Samantha Jones, said the sentence was “no kind of justice”.
IS JEROME EVER GOING TO HAVE A FAMILY?
“Is Jerome ever going to have a family?
“I think something in Australia needs to be done about the law.”
His grandmother, Dana Zivkov, said Jerome, who was born and raised in Cairns, was a great artist.
“He did his own didgeridoo, he did his own paintings,” she said.
“Everybody loved him.
“He always had a big smile.
“He cared about everyone.
“He had a big heart.”
She said Jerome had lost his life and that “we are being punished for it”.
“We are punished every day since he went away and I don’t think that’s fair,” she said.
“Hopefully there is karma out there and it will come back and give the right punishment out.”
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