Mum, boyfriend on three-day drug binge before baby died of neglect: court

A man charged with murder over the alleged death by neglect of his partner’s baby son has sought bail in a Brisbane court.

Baby Dexter Wilton died in June 2019.

Baby Dexter Wilton died from dehydration and malnutrition after his mother and her boyfriend “forgot about him” while they were on a three-day drug binge, prosecutors allege.

The eight-month-old boy was found dead at his family home in Raceview, Ipswich, in June 2019 by paramedics who were called to the address.

Dexter’s mother Natalie Jade Whitehead was later charged in December 2020 with the murder of her son.

She was also charged with failing to supply the necessaries of life and misconduct by interfering with a corpse.

Her boyfriend Andrew William Campbell was also arrested and charged with the boy’s murder in early 2021.

Campbell applied for bail in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.

His application was opposed by Crown prosecutor Melissa Wilson.

Whitehead and Campbell were each charged under Queensland’s new definition of murder, which was expanded in 2019 to include cases in which omissions are made with reckless indifference to human life.

Ms Wilson said it was alleged the pair had been in a relationship for about a month and the case against Campbell was that he had breached a duty of care to the little boy.

Andrew William Campbell

Dexter Wilton

Justice Peter Davis queried if there was evidence Campbell had a duty.

Ms Wilson submitted a duty had been established because the pair were living together in a de facto relationship and Campbell allegedly made admissions to being in a routine with the boy and making food and bottles for him.

“The opinion of the forensic expert… a specialist paediatrician, Dexter suffered severe neglect of his most basic needs, food and fluid, that led to severe acute dehydration and acute malnutrition,” Ms Wilson said.

“He suffered fatal outcomes as a direct result.”

The court heard Dexter was “fine” on the Sunday before his death when he spent time with his grandmother.

A witness noted days later on the Tuesday he had a rash but no other apparent health issues.

He died four days later on the Friday.

“The evidence is that he was left alone for at least a minimum of 21 hours,” Ms Wilson said.

“We can’t be 100 per cent sure of what happened in the days leading up.”

Ms Wilson said it would be alleged that Campbell and Whitehead went on a three-day drug binge in the days before Dexter died.

Defence barrister Damian Walsh submitted Campbell had “no duty to the child” in the 21 hours of neglect alleged by the prosecution.

Justice Davis reserved his decision.

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