Banned naturopath convicted over a baby’s near death appears in Manly Court for giving illegal health advice
A disgraced naturopath who was banned for life after her advice almost led to the death of a baby, was sentenced in a Sydney court on Thursday for giving health advice despite a life ban.
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A disgraced naturopath who was jailed for 14 months after her radical starvation diet advice left an eight-month-old baby just days from death, has appeared in a Sydney court.
Marilyn Pauline Bodnar was convicted on Thursday of breaching a lifetime ban prohibiting her from giving any form of health advice or treatments — fours years after she was released from prison.
In April 2018, Bodnar, now 67, was jailed for a minium seven months after telling a breastfeeding mum to go on an extreme diet which left her infant son emaciated and days from death.
Bodnar, who now lives near Lismore, was charged in November last year while working at a remedial massage business at North Sydney.
She pleaded guilty to one count of provide health service in contravention of a prohibition order.
Bodnar, was once a registered nurse, was banned, for life, by the Health Care Complaints Commission, from providing any health services.
But Manly Local Court heard on Thursday that as well as providing massages she also provided advice about “extreme fasting” and “naturopath remedies” while treating a massage client for “muscular and joint discomfort”.
In handing down his sentence in April 2018, District Court Judge Peter Berman said that Bodnar’s continual “flawed advice” amounted to “seriously criminal behaviour”.
Bodnar had pleaded guilty to counselling the mother to eat only raw veggies, fruits and seeds for three months to rid her son of his severe eczema.
The mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had sought advice from Bodnar who advised the woman that the skin condition was caused by the mother’s diet and toxins, and also urged her to consume only water and watermelon for three days after the boy began suffering from fever.
The young boy was “just days” from death, according to police, when he was eventually taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in May, 2015, suffering from severe malnourishment and developmental issues.
He had a fever, a staph infection, and weighed just 6.39kg
In July 2018 the HCCC issued the lifetime prohibition because Bodnar was a “risk to the health and safety of members of the public”.
In a police facts sheet tendered to court detectives stated that when they want to arrest Bodnar at North Shore Remedial Massage in Miller St, she was “dealing with another client”.
The court was told that Bodnar had appealed the lifetime ban to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2019, but was not made aware of the outcome of that appeal. It was rejected.
Magistrate Robyn Denes heard that Ms Bodnar was under the impression that she could provide massage treatments.
But the court heard that a client who had received the extreme fasting advice, looked her up online and complained to the HCCC.
Ms Denes said “at the heart” of the case was the issue of “consumer protection”.
“Looking at the facts, the objective seriousness, no harm was done (to the client). I take that into account”.
Bodnar was convicted and placed on a Community Corrections Order to be of good behaviour for 18 months.
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