Jasmine Wilmott’s 2014 police interview released to the Advertiser after school raises concerns about bruises
An Adelaide girl who took her own life after alleged horrific treatment by her mother was interview by police years early. The video has just gone public.
The teenage girl who died by suicide after alleged torment by her mother was interviewed by police four years earlier after a school raised concerns about her bruises.
Jenni Wilmott, 56, is standing trial in the Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter, criminal neglect and assault.
The charges arise from the 2018 death of Ms Wilmott’s daughter, Jasmine, who took her own life.
In a police interview from 2014, when Jasmine was aged 11, she told an officer that the bruises were caused by her own clumsiness.
However, another child told police Ms Wilmott used to “hit (Jasmine) a lot” and they would also be told to assault Jasmine.
Jasmine’s interview was released to The Advertiser by the court after St Dominic’s Priory College, where she was attending at the time, reported concerns about her having bruises on her body.
Jasmine, who is emotional at times during the interview, tells an officer she is extremely safe and happy at home and the bruises were caused because she is clumsy and bumps into things.
“I’m extremely clumsy as well, I bump myself absolutely every day,” she says. “My mum has never, ever, ever done anything wrong with me.”
She then went on to say her mum has never done anything wrong with her and they are “very close”.
In Ms Wilmott’s police interview in October 2020 played to the court last week, she vehemently denied assaulting Jasmine, saying it’s “absolutely not true”.
“I would never hurt her … she’s my daughter,” she said. “I absolutely adore her.”
Ms Wilmott told officers Jasmine would occasionally get bruises because she was a “bit clumsy” and would “walk into stuff”.
A 2022 police interview with the other child was also recently played to the court and contradicted these reasons.
In the interview, the child told police that the treatment of Jasmine “wasn’t that good” and that Ms Wilmott used to “hit her a lot”.
“And she, like, wouldn’t be allowed to eat food sometimes,” the child said.
The child told police Jasmine was usually hit on the back, the back of the legs, or places where people wouldn’t notice it.
“She (Ms Wilmott) mostly used an open hand and she’d sometimes use, like, a wooden spoon … then she’s used a rolling pin before as well,” the child said.
“We used to have to do inspections of her room to make sure she wasn’t hoarding food or anything.
“So we found out that she had, and (Ms Wilmott) hit her.
“(Ms Wilmott) would call her, like, a lying wench.”
The child told police that Ms Wilmott would make Jasmine hit herself, “every day almost”.
On one occasion, the child told police they were told to punch (Jasmine) on the back.
“I was told to put (boxing gloves) on,” the child said.
The child told police Jasmine was “always” locked in her room during school holidays.
They said that in the lead up to Jasmine’s death, they had started letting her out but that on the day of her death they felt “really paranoid” that Ms Wilmott knew and had “secret cameras or something”
“She (Jasmine) started knocking on the door asking to be let out … she was banging on the door, and I kept telling her ‘no’,” the child said.
“Then she kind of just went quiet for a while … I went up to go to the bathroom and that’s when I saw the note slid under the door … I turned off the alarm and opened the door, and I saw her.”
When asked by police why the child had not told them of the allegations in earlier interviews, they said they didn’t want Ms Wilmott to “do anything to me”.
In her opening, Jemma Litster, prosecuting said Ms Wilmott showed an “overarching resentment” towards Jasmine throughout her life and allegedly resulted in her failing to provide her with adequate food, clothing and shelter.
The court heard it was alleged Jasmine was underfed in Ms Wilmott’s care, weighing only 32kg at the age of 15.
Ms Litster said Ms Wilmott also allegedly subjected Jasmine to cruel punishments, such as cutting her hair short, making her do excessive chores in her underwear and “treating her like a burden”.
“Ms Wilmott described her as having a number of conditions, which she did not, starting with reactive attachment disorder and also later autism spectrum disorder,” she said.
Ms Litster said Jasmine was allegedly made to stay in a “freezing cold” laundry and a tent at other properties.
The trial, before Justice Sandi McDonald, continues.
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Originally published as Jasmine Wilmott’s 2014 police interview released to the Advertiser after school raises concerns about bruises
