Jenni Wilmott trial hears allegations she threatened another child with a knife and instigated violence between her and Jasmine
The mother accused of driving her daughter to suicide after years of horror abuse was alleged to have instigated violence between and her another girl, a court heard.
The mother accused of driving her daughter to suicide after years of torment was alleged to have threatened another child with a knife, a court heard.
Jenni Wilmott, 56, is standing trial in the Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter, criminal neglect and assault.
The charges arise from the 2018 death of Ms Wilmott’s daughter, Jasmine, who took her own life.
In a police interview from May 2020, played to the court, Ms Wilmott was confronted by police officers over allegations she assaulted another child.
“She’s made allegations of a whole heap of different things. Mainly about the way she was disciplined,” the officer tells Ms Wilmott.
“She wasn’t disciplined,” Ms Wilmott replies.
The officer then says the girl spoke to them about an alleged incident where Ms Wilmott threatened to hit her with a stick.
“No, that’s not true. I would never hit a child,” Ms Wilmott replies.
“When she’s then grabbed a knife and then you’ve grabbed a knife from her and then threatened her with the knife,” the officer says.
Ms Wilmott also denied that allegation.
“So anyone who knows me would know that is so far from the truth. I can’t even watch violent movies, never mind engage in violent behaviour,” she says.
“That indicates to me that she’s pretty unsettled, for her to be starting saying something like that.
“There’s no way I would ever hurt her. I gave her 150 per cent. I felt so sorry for her.”
The officer then tells Ms Wilmott that the girl said there was violence between her and Jasmine that was instigated by Ms Wilmott.
“Jasmine was petrified of her … she would not hurt anyone, would not hurt a fly,” Ms Wilmott says, before also saying it wasn’t true.
Giving evidence this week, a former neighbour told the court Jasmine would come over to their house quite often to borrow things and appeared “quite anxious”.
He said he heard “a lot” of yelling coming from their house during the period they lived there.
“There was one night where Jasmine was copping a bit of a beating,” he said.
“I distinctly remember it because I remember her crying.”
His wife told the court she saw Jasmine mowing the lawn in her underwear on one occasion.
An Aberfoyle Park High School classmate of Jasmine’s in 2018 told the court they became friends and Jasmine confided in her about her home life.
“There was a time where she said death would feel so much better than being at home because she was scared to go back,” she said.
“She felt like she was being treated like a slave.”
The body worn footage from the day of Ms Wilmott’s arrest on October 29, 2020 and played to the court was released to The Advertiser.
In it Ms Wilmott is told by officers that she is being placed under arrest on suspicion about how Jasmine was treated.
“I’m not guilty of anything, I loved that little girl,” Ms Wilmott tells them.
The video then shows Ms Wilmott being taken to the Christies Beach police station for a formal interview, where she vehemently denied assaulting Jasmine, saying it’s “absolutely not true”.
“I would never, ever, ever hit Jasmine,” she said.
Ms Wilmott told officers Jasmine would occasionally get bruises because she was a “bit clumsy” and had spatial awareness issues.
In her opening, prosecutor Jemma Litster told the court Ms Wilmott showed an “overarching resentment” towards Jasmine throughout her life that resulted in her failing to provide her with adequate food, clothing and shelter.
The court heard Jasmine was underfed in Ms Wilmott’s care, weighing only 32kg at the age of 15.
“Further Jenni Wilmott failed to provide adequate conditions of personal safety, by assaulting her physically and verbally, causing others to hit her,” Ms Litster said.
“Ms Wilmott described her as having a number of conditions, which she did not, starting with reactive attachment disorder and also later autism spectrum disorder.”
Ms Litster said Jasmine was made to stay in a “freezing cold” laundry and a tent at other properties, and the door was alarmed and the windows locked in her last bedroom.
The trial, before Justice Sandi McDonald and in the absence of a jury, continues.
More Coverage
Originally published as Jenni Wilmott trial hears allegations she threatened another child with a knife and instigated violence between her and Jasmine
