An Australian teenager is pleading for her parents’ prison sentences to be overturned after they were convicted of severe neglect, the 17-year-old ballerina, who was left dangerously malnourished, weighed only 4st when she was hospitalised.
Her parents, a couple in their mid-40s, were sentenced last month at Perth’s District Court of Western Australia, the father received six and a half years, while the mother was sentenced to five years in prison.
Dance instructors had repeatedly urged the parents to seek medical attention for their daughter, when their concerns were ignored, authorities intervened. The girl was found on the brink of cardiac arrest, with brittle hair, flaking skin, and no signs of puberty.
Doctors described her condition as critical, and that she required constant care in the hospital, where nurses had to assist her with basic tasks such as going to the toilet and brushing her hair.
The father defended their actions, insisting that his daughter’s extreme weight loss was due to her decision to follow a vegan diet.
His lawyer, Oliver Paxman, told CNN, “My client didn’t starve his child. He never withheld food. She was free to eat as much as she wanted. This case was about inadequate nutrition from a vegan diet.”
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Judge Linda Black, however, dismissed this defense, stating the parents had deliberately kept their daughter “a little girl” for far too long. She said, “You prevented her from growing up, from developing as she should have. Everyone around her could see she was severely malnourished—except for the two people who claimed to love her most.”
The court found that the parents had repeatedly lied about their daughter’s age to conceal the extent of her malnutrition, the judge pointed to medical records stating she was dangerously underweight, had a rapid heart rate, and lacked essential body fat.
“She was wasted, with pale skin, thin hair, and no signs of puberty,” Judge Black stated. “A doctor ordered an urgent ECG, and you both refused.”
Despite the ruling, the ballerina submitted a heartfelt plea in support of her parents. “I’m fully dependent on my parents. They pay for my food, clothes, and university fees. I love them very much. If they go to prison, I don’t think I’ll be able to cope.”
However, Judge Black maintained that the parents had failed their daughter and had to face the consequences. The father’s lawyer is now considering further legal action.
