Natalie Jade Whitehead jailed for manslaughter of baby Dexter Wilton

An Ipswich mother who “chose to nourish her drug habit over her infant” had only had the boy returned to her care days before he died of severe dehydrated and malnourished.

Dexter Wilton was just eight-and-a-half months old when he died of severe dehydration and malnutrition.

An Ipswich mother who “chose to nourish her drug habit over her infant” has been jailed for nine years over his death, after a court heard she neglected him while on a drug bender.

Natalie Jade Whitehead, 38, was found clutching her deceased eight-and-a-half month old baby Dexter Wilton to her chest, crying at her Ipswich unit on June 21, 2019.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard at Whitehead’s sentence on Thursday how she had “delayed calling police” by frantically washing her son’s body and cleaning her “disgusting” house in an “an obvious attempt to diminish (her) responsibility”.

Whitehead was sentenced to nine years jail on Thursday, over five years later, after she pleaded guilty to Dexter’s manslaughter.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard Whitehead had found Dexter dead in his cot on the afternoon of June 21, 2019, at her unit in Raceview.

Ipswich baby Dexter Wilton.

She had spent the days prior to Dexter’s death consuming drugs, and had not checked on him for the last 21 hours, the court was told.

Crown prosecutor Matt LeGrand said Whitehead had contacted triple-0 in the early evening, telling them “her baby was gone”.

Twelve minutes later, paramedics found Whitehead holding Dexter to her chest, crying on a single mattress on the floor of the front room.

Police had observed Whitehead’s unit in a “state of disarray”, with dog and cat faeces littered throughout the house and dirty nappies “everywhere” near Dexter’s cot, the court heard.

Dexter was estimated to have already been deceased for two to three hours as a result of what was found to be severe dehydration and malnutrition.

The court heard a specialist pediatrician concluded Dexter had “suffered severe neglect of his most basic needs”.

“The hours preceding Dexter’s death would have been distressing physically and emotionally,” Mr LeGrand said.

Whitehead was clearly emotional in court as she listened to the details read aloud, using tissues to dry her eyes.

The court heard Whitehead had washed Dexter’s body and changed his nappy before contacting police – allegedly aided by her co-accused and partner at the time Andrew William Campbell.

It’s alleged Mr Campbell dumped a bag of rubbish in their neighbours bin, telling them not to tell police, and that he gave another bag containing drug paraphernalia to another.

Judge Catherine Muir labelled the actions “an obvious attempt to diminish (their) responsibility”.

“You and Mr Campbell acted most deplorably in first trying to minimise the disgusting state of the house and changing the deceased child’s nappy,” she told Whitehead.

Andrew William Campbell, 44, leaves Ipswich Court. Picture: Nicola McNamara

Mr Campbell, who had been living with Whitehead at the time, is currently charged with manslaughter and has not entered any pleas.

Whitehead and Mr Campbell were both initially charged with murder in December 2020, but those charges were later dropped and replaced with manslaughter for each defendant.

Whitehead was also originally charged with misconduct with a corpse by interfering, but the charge was discontinued at her sentence.

She pleaded guilty at sentence to other charges.

Mr LeGrand said Whitehead’s punishment should denounce her “abject failure” to provide for her son.

He noted Dexter had only returned to Whitehead’s care just five days prior to his death.

The court heard Dexter had been staying with his grandmother and aunt for some days, and they had observed him to be well-nourished and in good health when they left him.

The nappy rash he had been observed with prior to staying with his grandmother had mostly healed – but it was “severe” and bleeding once more after just five days of being returned to Whitehead.

“Quite simply, she (Whitehead) chose to nourish her drug habit over her infant,“ Mr LeGrand said.

“(The sentence) should act to remind parents of their responsibilities when taking care of infants, and the dangers that drug use can render a person completely unfit to perform those duties.”

Defence barrister Joshua Fenton said his client Whitehead had experienced “quite severe” domestic violence at Campbell’s hand following Dexter’s death.

Mr Fenton said Whitehead had previously experienced domestic violence at the hand of a different partner, and had also been devastated by the sudden loss of her husband prior to that in 2016.

Whitehead had started using methamphetamine before her husband’s death, but the tragedy had caused her to spiral into heavier use, Mr Fenton said.

She had since been treated for PTSD while in custody on remand for Dexter’s death.

At the time of her sentence, Whitehead had already served three years, nine months and 17 days in custody.

Justice Muir accepted Whitehead had a history of “neglect and deprivation”, only one minor offence on her criminal history, and that she had made significant efforts towards rehabilitation on remand.

But she said Dexter had been the victim of “obvious ongoing neglect” and Whitehead’s “prolonged failure” to provide for him.

“You were willing to put drugs before your children’s lives,” Justice Muir said.

The court heard Whitehead had three remaining children, who she would likely have limited contact with in future as a result of her actions.

Judge Muir sentenced Whitehead to nine years imprisonment, with parole eligibility on June 23, 2025, after she has served half of her sentence in actual custody.

Her 1387 days in presentence custody were declared time-served.

Mr Campbell is currently on bail, and his matter is next listed for mention on December 2.

Originally published as Natalie Jade Whitehead jailed for manslaughter of baby Dexter Wilton