A wealthy Floreat couple have been accused of starving their teenage daughter, leading to life-threatening malnutrition, osteoporosis and restricted growth.
The couple, who have been charged with grievous bodily harm and forgery over the matter, have denied the allegations and will go on trial in the District Court next July.
The girl received treatment at Perth Children’s Hospital.Credit: Getty Images
According to police prosecutors, the then-17-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had limited contact with people outside her immediate family, and her parents allegedly did not believe she had any health issues or required any medical treatment.
The court heard the girl, who was homeschooled and an only child, had the appearance of an 11-year-old and was suffering from hair loss and extremely low body weight.
“Concerns were also raised surrounding the accused and co-accused’s refusal to have the victim medically assessed and providing different birthdates for the victim,” prosecutors said.
In April the following year, the accused and co-accused allegedly “reluctantly attended a medical centre to have the victim medically assessed”.
“The medical assessment confirmed that the victim was severely malnourished, and the attending doctor had serious concerns relating to the victim’s physical health,” the court heard.
“It was recommended that the victim receive further assessment and be admitted into the Perth Children’s Hospital for further assessment and treatment.
“The accused and co-accused refused to have the victim admitted into the hospital.”
Police claim a second visit to the GP five days later resulted in the same recommendation for the girl to be taken immediately to hospital for “urgent medical attention”, which the parents allegedly refused to do again.
However, the following day the girl was admitted to Perth Children’s Hospital where she was immediately put on a nasogastric feeding tube.
“During the victim’s potential life-threatening medical treatment, the accused and co-accused repeated their assertions that there was nothing medically wrong with the victim and repeated attempts to undermine and obstruct the victim’s medical treatment,” police prosecutors said during a bail application at Perth Magistrates Court in August 2021.
Prosecutors also alleged that despite the absence of any physical or mental disability or illness that “the victim was unable to care for her basic personal hygiene, apparently because she had never been taught to do so”.
The parents, who live in a house worth more than $2.5 million, also allegedly repeatedly changed the date of their daughter’s birth “at certain locations” to reflect the age she looked.
“She doesn’t look like a 17-year-old due to malnutrition and hence it’s alleged that’s why they – the parents kept changing the date of birth at certain locations where she would have turned – so her puberty was significantly delayed,” prosecutors said.
The couple will be part of a District Court trial in 2024.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola
The day after the girl was admitted to hospital, she was placed under the care of the Department of Communities.
“As a result of being severely malnourished and delayed medical treatment, the victim has been diagnosed with growth retardation, osteoporosis and delayed puberty,” prosecutors said in court.
“It has further been ascertained by medical staff that the victim had been subject to severe nutritional, medical, emotional and developmental neglect by both the accused and the co-accused, failing to provide the victim with adequate nutrition to allow appropriate growth and progression through puberty.”
The matter was referred to police, launching an investigation by the child abuse squad.
Four months later the pair were arrested and charged with a string of offences including aggravated grievous bodily harm and forgery.
The man, an IT consultant and the woman, who maintains the family home, have since pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, with lawyers claiming the girl suffers from a medical condition.
Representing the pair in court after they were arrested and spent a night in custody, Paul Bevilacqua said the girl was a high-level pianist and attended a dance school multiple times a week, which was where the originating complaint was made.
“We’re dealing with complicated issues of underweight children, which is quite common these days, given the pressures of social media, et cetera” he said.
“It seems that the police have seized upon a medical report listing the lack of weight and the lack of growth, which is a medical condition, we say.”
She thinks her parents are treating her well but they’re not
Prosecutor
After her release from hospital the girl was placed into the care of a grandparent and was allowed supervised visits with her parents three times a week.
A transcript of the court proceedings obtained by WAtoday shows a psychological assessment revealed the girl wanted to be placed back with her parents and would have been “devastated” if she didn’t have access and time with them.
However, police claimed the victim was further at risk due to her “childlike dependence on her parents”.
“The child doesn’t know any better,” they said.
“She thinks her parents are treating her well, but they’re not.”
The parents were later charged and then granted bail, despite prosecutors’ concerns that they would “interfere with the victim’s future medical treatment” but with a protective condition not to have any contact with their daughter or go within 50 metres of her.
In April this year the girl turned 19.
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