At the age of 17, she weighed 27 kg: a couple whose daughter was sick due to constant malnutrition was convicted in Australia

In Australia, a couple whose 17-year-old daughter was chronically ill due to constant malnutrition was convicted. The girl had the weight of a 9-year-old child, could not provide for her own household needs, and her physical development did not correspond to her age. This was reported by UNN with reference to CNN.

Details

It is noted that the District Court of Western Australia found the couple guilty of improper performance of parental duties. 

Court documents show that the daughter of the Australians loved to dance. The girl spent most of her time at home, but ballet lessons gave her the opportunity to socialize with other children.

According to CNN, the father of the family worked full time while the mother quit her job to care for her daughter. The family lived in one of the richest suburbs of Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

In her ruling, Judge Linda Black stated that the girl's parents obviously loved her, but failed to fulfill their parental responsibilities and did not help her develop physically and emotionally.

“This is not a case of a malnourished ballerina,” said Judge Linda Black, sentencing the father to 6.5 years in prison and the mother to 5 years. The sentence was mitigated to take into account her personal circumstances.

You have isolated your daughter, you have not allowed her to grow up, you have not allowed her to develop as she had the right to. You kept her as a little girl much longer than she should have been

At the hospital, doctors found out that the 17-year-old girl was 147.5 centimeters tall and weighed 27.3 kilograms, about the same as a healthy 9-year-old child. The teenager's body mass index was 12.5, which is significantly lower than normal (18 to 25 points).

At the time of hospitalization, the girl had brittle hair and her skin was peeling off. Doctors believed that due to malnutrition, she was at risk of cardiac arrest and death.

Witnesses at the medical facility stated that the parents treated their daughter like a small child. Adults were with her in the bathroom, helping her to blow her nose and combing her hair while she watched children's cartoons.

According to the doctor, she was emaciated, had a limited proportion of body fat. She was pale. She showed no signs of puberty. Her hair was brittle and thin, her skin was dry and flaky, and her heart rate was elevated

During the trial, the girl's father said that his daughter was “picky about food” and decided to become a vegetarian at the age of eight. According to him, the girl became a vegan in her teens, but allegedly ate three meals a day and had access to snacks.

The man stated that he did not believe that his daughter was malnourished.

However, the judge refused to believe that the couple did not realize their daughter's critical condition.

“There is nothing unusual about parents wanting to hold on to their child and not wanting to let go. It's not unusual at all. But it is wrong for parents to actually prevent their child from starting and completing this natural process,” Judge Black said.

Recall

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