Qld mum did not take dying daughter to hospital because she thought God would heal her
A mother did not take her dying daughter - who had swelling on her brain and blood clots - to a hospital due to a very dangerous belief.
A mother has been found guilty of failing to take her young daughter for medical attention when she was on the brink of death because she believed God would heal her.
The 45-year-old woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – did not react as the jury handed down a guilty verdict at Toowoomba District Court on Thursday.
In her defence, the self-represented woman made reference to biblical stories and her religious faith while closing her case, asserting God had provided healing for her daughter, 6, after the incident.
She said she did not trust the medical system, claiming God had “100 per cent promised healing”.
The woman had pleaded not guilty to a single charge of failing to provide the necessessities of life for her child in July 2019.
During her defence, the woman had told the jury she had never had to take herself or her eight children to the doctor because God had “promised healing” to her family.
“I see that as the hand of God,” she said.
She acknowledged her daughter got “quite sick” but she had “facts and evidence” of God and the bible.
“Those facts are that God has promised healing,” she said.
The mother said she did not trust the medical system because of “mistakes” and it was not “100 per cent certain that if you go you would be healed”.
At sentencing, the mother started to cry as she described how she was being taken away from her children.
Crown prosecutor Shontelle Petrie said the woman knew her child’s health was in “serious decline” days before she was hospitalised.
The court was told the girl presented to hospital with serious conditions that included renal failure, swelling on her brain and blood clots on July 17, 2019.
Her father had made the last-minute trip at the behest of the mother.
A nurse gave evidence that she initially thought the girl was dead.
The mother had repeatedly claimed God would heal her daughter’s sickness and initially thought the girl had worms.
Ms Petrie said the delay in seeking medical attention meant life-saving devices had to be used by hospital staff to save the girl.
She said a cloak of faith did not permit the mother to abdicate her duty to care for the young girl.
“(They) had to work tirelessly to resuscitate the girl,” she said.
“The lesson that you can’t play chicken in the name of faith does need to be learned, if not by her then by others.
The court was told the child had since made a full recovery and had no lasting health issues.
Judge Jennifer Rosengren sentenced the mother to 18 months’ jail, ordering she be released on parole after serving five months.
She said the mother had demonstrated no remorse nor insight into her offending.
“Your daughter was totally dependent on you … and you failed to seek it for her when it was plainly required,” Judge Rosengren said.
“It is of some concern you told police you would do the same again, even knowing (your daughter’s) dire condition.”