Baby G inquest to probe death of six-month-old boy with Down syndrome

Following an incident at Royal Darwin Hospital, it was reported Baby G’s mother ‘grabbed’ him from his cot while intoxicated on the ward and the infant was found ‘face down on the ground’.

The inquest is set down for three days in the Darwin Local Court. Picture: Jason Walls

An inquest in Darwin has probed what more could have been done to support the parents of a little boy with Down syndrome who died in hospital just six months after his birth.

In opening the inquest on Tuesday, Deputy Coroner Chrissy McConnel said Baby G was a Yolngu boy born to parents Camilla Yunupingu and Brendan Ganambarr in September 2022.

Upon his birth, Baby G was “unexpectedly diagnosed” with Down syndrome and spent time in hospital in Darwin and Adelaide before developing complications including “severe and progressive lung disease”.

Along with a string of other diagnoses, Ms McConnel said Baby G also contracted Covid in hospital and despite at one point appearing to rally, his condition deteriorated and he died on March 10, last year.

Ms McConnel said Baby G had been subject to three child protection notifications during his short life, with the first noting Ms Yunupingu’s history of alcohol use, putting him “firmly on the child protection radar”.

Then, following an incident at Royal Darwin Hospital on November 22, it was reported she “grabbed” Baby G from his cot while intoxicated on the ward and the infant was found “face down on the ground”.

A protection order was ultimately not granted by a court after Ms Yunupingu and Mr Ganambarr gave an undertaking which “addressed the immediate concerns” of Territory Families.

By December, despite the undertaking including a commitment to remain “substantially present at hospital”, Baby G’s parents were absent on a number of occasions, leaving “no parent or caregiver available”.

Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage will focus on ‘the level of support provided to Camilla and Brendan by the department’. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A short term protection order was then made and the couple was reportedly told they could visit Baby G under supervision but were “not seen at the hospital again” until late January when he was in intensive care.

Ms McConnel said the “main focus” of the inquest would be “around the level of support provided to Camilla and Brendan by the department”.

“In particular, whether adequate supports were identified and whether sufficient priority was given to ensuring those supports were put in place prior to any decision to enact (protection orders),” she said.

“It would have been an extremely stressful and unsettling time for Camilla and Brendan who are community based Aboriginal people.

“They are not from Darwin, they would have been experiencing the sadness and trauma of their little boy being born with a disability and severe health issues and I suggest they may have struggled to understand those complex medical issues with English as their second language.”

“They had to deal with a Covid isolation period and were expected and required to be present at the hospital to provide care for their son who was too unwell to return with them to their home community where their family supports were.”

The inquest finished on Thursday.