Shannon Lee White to be sentenced over step daughter Willow Dunn’s death
A four-year-old girl with down syndrome died from severe malnourishment after her stepmother failed to care for her in the months leading up to her death, a court was told.
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A severely malnourished four-year-old girl with down syndrome had been dead in her bedroom for likely two days before authorities were alerted, a court has been told.
The body of Willow Dunn was found in her Cannon Hill home on May 25, 2020.
More than four years later, her stepmother Shannon Leigh White fronted court over the young girl’s death, pleading guilty to manslaughter.
She’s also plead guilty to one count of possessing a dangerous drug, namely cannabis, and another charge of cruelty to children under 16 – concerning a different child to Willow.
Willow’s father, Mark Dunn, was charged with Willow’s alleged murder.
Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court White failed in her duty of care to provide the necessaries of life and other medical treatment to her stepdaughter.
Mr Crane said White “wasn’t paying attention or caring for Willow” in the days leading up to her death and only found out her stepdaughter had died after Mr Dunn allegedly told her.
The court was told Willow died from severe malnourishment, and also likely from acute pancreatitis.
“She weighted 6.5kg, which was 45 per cent less than an acceptable weight on a down syndrome specific scale,” Mr Crane said.
The court was she should have weighed between 13.6kg and 15kg.
Mr Crane said it’s estimated the child was malnourished for months compared to weeks.
“If Willow was conscious at that time, the likely symptoms would have been nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, inability to eat and pain,” he said.
The court was told Willow also had several bed sores on her back and her hips, which due to the malnourishment, were likely caused by nappies, clothing or bedding.
Mr Crane said Willow also likely experienced “reduced mobility of weeks” before her death because of her level of malnourishment and also experienced “severe immobility in the days before her death”.
Mr Crane said when authorities found her body, she was dirty and covered in lice, indicating she hadn’t been regularly washed.
The court was told Willow had been isolated from social gatherings for several months in the lead up to her death, including preschool and family birthday parties.
Mr Crane said “no one saw Willow” because, as the Crown alleged, White and Mr Dunn were “preventing others from seeing her” because she’d begun to lose weight.
The court was told Willow would be left in the house.
Mr Crane said White had even began to tell a “lie of deceit” when asked by others about where her stepdaughter was.
“It can’t be excluded that Ms White didn’t see Willow at all,” he said.
“She should have cared for Willow … or intervened.
“She was a stepmother, someone who was acting as Willow’s mother.”
White’s barrister Paula Morreau said her client expressed her remorse over the death of Willow.
“Ms White does wish to apologise to the Dunn family. for the harm and damage she’s caused to them,” Ms Moreau said on her client’s behalf.
“She accepts her failure in her duty to care for (Willow) … and is so sorry for her part and … so sorry for causing that harm.”
Ms Morreau said her client had not been the legal guardian for Willow but had begun to observe reduced mobility in her stepdaughter “around 2020”.
“About two months before (Willow’s Death) she told (Mr Dunn) to take her to a doctor on a number of occasions,” Ms Morreau said.
“Of course she should have called emergency services any time but she didn’t consider that.
“There were a confluence of factors that were impacting on her mental health state at the time.
“The possibility of death was unlikely to be considered by her.”
Ms Morreau said White and Mr Dunn had been living in separate parts of the family home when Willow died, leaving her feeling isolated herself but she admitted she did not enter the child’s bedroom for days before her death.
In a victim impact statement read aloud to the court, a young relative of Willow said the four-year-old was a “playful and cheeky” girl.
The relative said they’ve been experiencing nightmares ever since “losing Willow”.
“I’m very sad that Willow passed away, she’s always in my heart but she’s safe with (her) mum now and is with her,” he said.
Justice Peter Davis adjourned his sentencing decision to a later week.
“The case is a difficult one which raises all sorts of issues and I’ll need time to consider it,” he said.
It comes as White was due to stand trial in the Supreme Court but during her arraignment on in August she entered a plea of guilty to a single charge of manslaughter.
Willow’s father, Mark Dunn, is expected to stand trial charged with Willow’s alleged murder in 2025.