Woman sentenced to jail at Taree court in long-running child neglect case

A Mid-North Coast woman who failed to provide necessities of life to a child in her care – including neglecting treatment for a broken leg – has been locked up. Read the exclusive report.

Taree Police Station.

The long-running case involving a woman who failed to provide necessities of life to a child in her care – including neglecting treatment for a broken leg – has been finalised in Taree.

The woman who cannot legally be identified has been found guilty of two child neglect charges relating to a three-year-old boy after a hearing at Taree Local Court.

Refusing to provide the necessities of life is an extremely rare charge in NSW courts, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics And Research (BOCSAR).

In the five years to September 2022, only three charges were laid and only two offences were proven.

The 31-year-old was also found guilty of not providing for a child causing danger of serious injury.

The boy was in the woman’s care in a small town near Taree at the time.

A woman was found guilty of two child neglect charges relating to a three-year-old boy after a hearing at Taree Local Court.

Between June 8-10 in 2020, the woman failed to seek medical aid for a broken leg the young boy suffered while in her care, court documents revealed.

Then in early 2021, the caregiver refused the necessities of life – including proper food, clothing, medical help and lodging.

Death would have been a likely outcome, the court was told.

After the January hearing, the woman applied in April to have the case dealt with under mental health legislation, rather than the criminal justice system. The case was adjourned to July 3.

Taree magistrate Allison Hawkins rejected the application and proceeded to sentencing.

The woman has been sentenced to two years and eight month in prison with a non-parole period of one year and 10 months.

She will be eligible for parole on December 2 next year.