Vegan parents from Surf Coast facing jail time for forcing plant-based diet on their infant child
A mother and father are facing possible jail terms after they ignored repeated warnings from medical professionals and forced a vegan diet on their infant child.
Police & Courts
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An infant child was left with a “devastating” brain injury after her Bellbrae parents rejected medical advice and forced a vegan diet on her, a court has heard.
The couple are facing jail terms over the mistreatment of their 12-month-old child, who was placed on life support after being rushed to hospital with severe malnutrition.
The County Court heard the girl spent one month in intensive care and had since been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
A 34-year-old man and 32-year-old woman each pleaded guilty on Friday to negligently causing serious injury to the child.
The pair — who are now separated — were given pseudonyms in court documents.
Lawyers for the parents are urging the court to spare them jail, arguing they had changed their ways and now felt immense shame and guilt for causing their daughter’s disability.
Prosecutor Justin Lewis told the court the couple ignored repeated warnings from medical professionals that a plant-based diet was not suitable for their daughter.
A maternal child health nurse first noticed issues with the girl’s weight in late 2017 — when the infant was three months old — and suggested the parents use artificial formula to supplement a waning supply of breast milk.
Despite being told there were no alternatives, the father — a long-time vegan — was adamant that they would not use artificial formula and instead conducted his own online research for plant-based options.
The court heard the nurse continued to raise concerns with doctors, as well as the parents, who complained that they were being targeted with “unfounded prejudice”.
The couple stopped attending appointments when the girl was five months old as they persisted with feeding their daughter a strict diet of fruit juices, smoothies and plant-based solids.
After several months, signs were evident that the girl was unwell, however it took the parents weeks to seek medical attention.
In an email sent to a US-based clinic, the father wrote that they did not want to see a doctor “because they just don’t understand”.
In August 2018, the girl was taken to Geelong hospital’s emergency department in a hypotonic and lethargic state.
The court heard she was pale and had bruising on her abdomen, while her temperature was not recordable.
She was transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a critically unwell state and placed on life support.
Investigations showed she had Kwashiorkor, a form of severe protein malnutrition, which is extremely rare in first-world countries.
The girl was eventually released from hospital after almost three months, with her brain injury meaning she now required ongoing physical and speech therapy.
Now aged three and living with her mother, it is hoped she will eventually be able to walk with the help of a frame or walking aids.
Lawyers for the couple argued they were “loving” parents who were no longer vegans.
Defence barrister Julia Munster, for the father, said he did not appreciate the significance of his actions at the time.
That prompted a rebuke from Judge Claire Quin, who said the couple had a “very high” duty to care for their child.
“These parents, they weren’t, you know, 19 (or) 20-year-olds; they were early 30s, both of them,” she said.
“They’re told that what they’re contemplating isn’t going to work for their infant — that there are real concerns about that — but they continue to do it.
“I’m not saying they didn’t love her … but they had a duty to look after and maintain the welfare of an infant.”
The pair will be assessed for community correction orders before returning to court on September 28.
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Originally published as Vegan parents from Surf Coast facing jail time for forcing plant-based diet on their infant child