Two women sentenced on child cruelty and assault charges in Cairns District Court

A married couple forced their child to stand against a wall for 12 hours without food or water and hit the seven-year-old girl with a metal bat over 10 months of prolonged cruelty, a Cairns court has heard. Warning: Graphic content

A married couple was sentenced on charges of child cruelty. Picture: File photo

A married couple forced their child to stand against a wall for 12 hours without food or water and hit the seven-year-old girl with a metal bat over 10 months of prolonged cruelty, a Cairns court has heard.

The Cairns women, both aged 30 who cannot be named for legal reasons, escaped jail in Cairns District Court this week.

Crown prosecutor Seamus McManus said the women were living in a caravan park with the victim and a younger sibling when the crimes occurred around June 2021 to April 2022.

They faced charges of cruelty, assault – hitting the child with a metal bat, and one woman was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm for striking the girl with a toy, causing a laceration to her forehead.

Mr McManus said they failed to provide adequate care and adequate food for the child, she had heavy duty chores and was made to stand with her hand on her head facing a wall for up to 12 hours as “time out”.

During these times, the girl was not allowed to eat, drink, or go to the toilet and she urinated on herself more than once, and on one occasion, vomited because of the heat, Mr McManus said.

“Her lunch and dinner were limited to such an extent that a teacher at school observed her weight loss and became concerned,” Mr McManus said.

Cairns District Court heard that 'punishment' started when the girl, who was denied lunch and dinner, got home from school. Picture: File photo

The women denied abusing the child.

Mr McManus said the punishment in “time-out” was “completely gratuitous” and for no reason. He said the women had abused a position of trust and shown no remorse or responsibility.

The court heard the women were initially indicted on a charge of torture.

One woman has had five biological children removed from her care and the other woman has had three biological children removed.

Defence barrister Jessica Horne, for the stepmother, provided a psychologist’s report linking her traumatic upbringing to the crimes.

Ms Horne said the woman had worked as a cleaner but needed a Blue Card to access all areas and was unable to obtain one.

Defence barrister Rachelle Logan, who represented the girl’s biological mother, said she accepted she had failed her daughter and the woman had a childhood of abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse by a neighbour.

She fell pregnant aged 15 and had twins, fell pregnant to another man and gave birth to the girl, and was married aged 18, Ms Logan said.

Cairns District Court heard the couple lived in a caravan park with the victim, 7, and her younger sibling. Between them they have eight children - all are in care, and the girl is now subject of long term guardianship. Picture: Supplied

The woman alleged she was raped and gave birth to a fourth child.

The court heard the women had taken domestic violence orders out against one another and the mother had started divorce proceedings, but they remained together for some time after the children were taken from them.

“She regrets bringing children into her chaotic life, understands she wasn’t stable, she wasn’t well,” Ms Logan said, adding the woman had been diagnosed with PTSD and depressive disorder.

In sentencing the women, Judge Tracy Fantin said the girl did excessive household chores and was subject to excessive discipline.

“Her punishment was almost daily when she came home from school,” Judge Fantin said, noting over 10 months the girl missed 17 weeks of school.

She was given breakfast but refused lunch and dinner, was not allowed to eat anything and if she broke that rule there was “time-out”, and she would hide food under her bed but be punished for that if found out.

Judge Fantin said the bravery and good sense of the teacher was to be commended.

She noted both women had extremely disadvantaged and traumatic childhoods.

During sentencing Judge Fantin said “you have five children, none of whom are in your care because you failed to parent them”.

Judge Fantin made their parole date May 22 after sentencing them to two and a half years’ and two years’ prison respectively.

“You had profoundly dysfunctional relationships, continued to fall pregnant and bear children you had no capacity to care for.”

Originally published as Two women sentenced on child cruelty and assault charges in Cairns District Court