Court overturns convictions of parents accused of starving their ballerina daughter in WA
Consensus Summary
A Perth couple accused of starving their teenage ballerina daughter have had their convictions overturned by Western Australia’s Court of Appeal after a jury trial in November 2024. The girl, nearly 17 at the time, weighed just 28kg and was admitted to hospital in April 2021 after being enrolled in ballet classes with much younger dancers due to her parents forging her birth certificate. The parents were initially sentenced to over six years and five years in prison respectively, with Judge Linda Black calling their actions ‘grossly negligent.’ The appeal court granted them bail with financial undertakings and set a retrial for April 24, though the reasons for overturning the convictions have not yet been published. Both sources confirm the girl’s severe malnourishment and the parents’ refusal to allow life-saving medical intervention, but differ slightly on the specifics of the mother’s original charges and court proceedings.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The parents were convicted in November 2024 of charges related to starving their teenage daughter, with the mother convicted of failing to protect her from harm (2019–2021) and the father convicted of reckless care and forging their daughter’s birth certificate to make her appear younger.
- The girl was admitted to Perth Children’s Hospital in April 2021 at nearly 17 years old, weighing approximately 28kg (27–28kg), with doctors warning she would have died without intervention.
- The parents were sentenced in January 2025 to over six years (father) and five years (mother) with parole eligibility, with Judge Linda Black describing them as ‘grossly negligent’ for not acting in their daughter’s best interests.
- The parents were granted bail pending a retrial, with each required to provide a $50,000 personal undertaking and $50,000 surety.
- The couple’s daughter was enrolled in ballet classes with dancers two to three years younger than her actual age due to the forged birth certificate.
- The investigation began on April 7, 2021, after the girl presented at Perth Children’s Hospital in a severely malnourished state.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The mother was convicted of failing to protect her daughter from harm and providing inadequate emotional, social, and functional development.
- The father was convicted of reckless care of a child resulting in suffering and forging his daughter’s birth certificate to make her appear younger.
- The mother broke down in tears upon hearing the appeal court’s ruling via video link.
- The couple’s legal representative, Tom Percy, stated: ‘There will be a retrial and the two accused have been released on bail.’
- The court is yet to publish the reasons for quashing the convictions as of the appeal ruling on Tuesday.
- The girl was taken into state care when her parents refused to allow her to be tube-fed at Perth Children’s Hospital despite her dangerously low weight.
- Hospital staff reported the girl was severely emotionally and developmentally delayed.
- The father pleaded guilty to forging his daughter’s birth certificate earlier in the proceedings.
- The retrial hearing is scheduled for April 24, with the couple appearing in the District Court.
- The ABC included a warning that the story contains distressing details and provided visuals of the girl attending court during sentencing.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states the mother was convicted of failing to protect her daughter from harm and providing inadequate emotional, social, and functional development, while ABC does not explicitly mention the mother’s specific charge beyond ‘engaging in conduct that caused their child to suffer.’
- NEWSCOMAU reports the mother was convicted at Perth District Court, but ABC does not specify the court location for the mother’s conviction beyond the appeal being in Western Australia’s Court of Appeal.
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