Manslaughter charge reinstated in twist to Goodstart toddler death

A fresh manslaughter charge has been brought against a woman previously cleared of wrongdoing with police alleging she contributed to the death of a toddler who was left on a minibus for six hours.

A FRESH manslaughter charge has been brought against a woman previously cleared of wrongdoing with police alleging she contributed to the death of a toddler who was left on a minibus for six hours.

Magistrate Kevin Priestly discharged Dionne Batrice Grills of a manslaughter charge in January this year, saying she had no case to answer and that a reasonable jury would not find a guilty verdict based on the evidence.

Now she has been re-charged over the three-year-old’s death.

Former Goodstart Early Learning employee Dionne Batrice Grills, 34, leaves the Cairns watch house after being granted bail in February 2020. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

Ms Grills was an employee of the Edmonton Goodstart Early Learning centre on February 18, 2020, when three-year-old Maliq (Meeky) Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo was found dead in a minibus after being left in the vehicle for almost six hours.

Former daycare centre director Michael Glenn Lewis pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Cairns Supreme Court and in February this year was sentenced to at least 18 months behind bars for his role in the death of the child.

In the Cairns Supreme Court on Thursday, prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court one count of manslaughter against Ms Grills would be pursued by the Crown.

Before Justice Jim Henry, defence barrister Jacqueline O’Reilly representing Ms Grills, told the court there had not been a “usual lead up” when pinning down a date for a new trial.

Maliq “Meeky” Namok-Malamoo, 3, died after he was left for six hours in a day care centre bus in Cairns.

Ms O’Reilly requested May 2022 be considered for a trial to allow the accused time to raise funds to support the legal cost of a trial expected to last five days.

Justice Henry rejected the request and set aside October 11 for the case to be mentioned.

“The purpose of the mention is to allocate a trial listing and (it is) also to allocate a pre-trial argument listing,” he told the court.

Meeky's family including mum Muriel Namok, centre, speaking to media outside the Cairns Court following the sentencing of former daycare centre director Michael Glenn Lewis. Picture: Stewart McLean

A new bail order was imposed by the court that mirrored the original Magistrates Court bail set in 2020.

Appearing in the dock Ms Grills was instructed to sign bail papers before leaving the building or be held in contempt of the court’s order.

Originally published as Manslaughter charge reinstated in twist to Goodstart toddler death