Floreat’s ‘starving ballerina’ couple handed lengthy jail terms as judge blasts their parental ‘failure’

WARNING: CONFRONTING IMAGES The mother and father of Floreat’s “starving ballerina” have been handed lengthy jail terms, with the judge saying they “engaged in wilful blindness of the most extreme kind” and failed as parents. The couple, whose identity is suppressed, were convicted of child neglect on two grounds — under-nourishing and infantilising their only child — after a four-and-a-half-week District Court trial in November. Their daughter, who was home-schooled, weighed just 28.1kg when she was hospitalised in 2021, days shy of her 17th birthday. By the second day of a 50-day stay, she’d been made a ward of the State because her parents initially refused certain tests and treatment, including the nasogastric tube that undoubtedly saved her life. The father, who pleaded guilty to forging his daughter’s birth certificate, was sentenced on Friday to six-and-a-half years behind bars. He will be eligible for parole after four-and-a-half years. The mother was sentenced to five years and will be eligible for parole after serving three years. Judge Linda Black blasted the couple with blistering sentencing remarks, reading from a letter the now 20-year-old sent to the court last year pleading for the charges to be dropped. “I thought the foods that I was eating were sufficient for myself,” the daughter wrote, adding that she chose her own portions. “I do feel I am responsible for the decisions that were made and the predicament my parents are in. “I love my parents very much. If my parents go to prison, I don’t think I will be able to cope. I worry about this all the time. “Please drop this prosecution.” Judge Black said the daughter’s life-threatening emaciation — which doctors warned put her at risk of cardiac arrest — was her parents fault. And they should have at least thought about the possibility she had an eating disorder. “She is not responsible,” the judge said. “The fact she felt she could not survive without each of you is your fault.” The pair told “a cascading series of lies” to everyone who raised concerns — starting with the girl’s dance teachers — claiming she was two years younger than she actually was in a bid to deflect their fears. They even continued the lie with the first doctor who warned them the girl’s condition was life-threatening, saying she just had a fast metabolism, which was “outrageous”, Judge Black said. The pair were angry with authorities but would hopefully realise, one day, that “you were wrong and they were right”. “Your daughter was starving, she was fading away,” Judge Black said. “I simply cannot accept that you did not see it. “You did see and that’s why you lied about her age. “You prevented her from growing up . . . you did keep her a little girl. “The two of you thought you knew better than everyone else. “You argued, you disagreed, you ignored.” Because she was home-schooled, the parents had an even greater than usual opportunity to observe and influence their child, the judge noted. “By choosing to keep all these jobs to yourself, it was imperative that you carried them out properly,” Judge Black said. “You failed to do so.” Both had showed zero insight into their offending and continued to deny any wrongdoing, the judge said. “There is an absolute absence of any remorse,” she said. “You justified the most obvious neglect in ways that were quite frankly ridiculous.” Judge Black also said the Education Department had “failed dismally” to look into the child’s wellbeing, having visited the home annually to assess the daughter’s home-schooling. “Perhaps these problems could have been picked up earlier,” she said. The department’s director general Jay Peckitt said he shared the community’s concerns around the case. “At this point, we are not in a position to provide specific details regarding an individual,” he said in an emailed statement. “It’s important to note that under the Education Act 1999, the role of the department is to evaluate the educational program and the academic progress of the student. “However, the department will be considering opportunities to strengthen home education processes in WA within the current legislation and regulations.” Judge Black said the father got more time because he told more lies. She said she took into account the mother’s personal circumstances, including long-standing obsessive compulsive disorder, which meant prison would be harder for her. Outside court, the woman’s defence lawyer Michael Perrella said his client was “obviously very upset”. The man’s counsel, Oliver Paxman, declined to comment. Their daughter wept quietly in the arms of a supporter after the terms were handed down. As the final scheduled defence witness at trial - called to the stand by her mother - she suffered a panic attack metres away from the courtroom and pulled out of testifying. She returned to her parent’s $3.5 million home the moment she turned 18 and remains there, with power of attorney for her parents. Judge Black remarked during a sentencing submissions hearing on Thursday that she had never seen a case like it and said on Friday that photos of the skeletal child “haunted many of us”. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image issue, please call Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 334 673 or email support@butterfly.org.au