Warning: This article discusses child abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
A ballerina has made a heartfelt plea to the judge to dismiss charges against her parents, who have been convicted of child abuse.
The Australian couple, both 47 years old, face prison time for years of neglect that left their 17-year-old daughter severely underweight at just 60 pounds, comparable to a nine-year-old.
To ensure the daughter’s privacy, the couple’s identities are withheld. They were found guilty of depriving her of necessary emotional, social, and functional development, according to ABC.net.
The extent of their abuse was uncovered when the girl was hospitalized due to malnutrition. Doctors warned she was at risk of cardiac arrest and possible death, with symptoms including flaky skin and brittle hair.
Witnesses testified how her parents still performed basic caregiving tasks, such as wiping her after using the toilet and blowing her nose, which was revealed during the trial.
Initial concerns arose from ballet teachers who noticed her increasingly gaunt appearance. Ballet was her only social interaction as a homeschooled child.
Judge Linda Black observed that the family’s home lacked age-appropriate content. The girl was allowed to watch programs for much younger children, such as Teletubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine, along with Frozen.
In November 2024, the girl’s father received a sentence of six-and-a-half years, while her mother was sentenced to five years in jail.
The move to prison will contrast sharply with their previous life in a wealthy Perth suburb.
In spite of their mistreatment, the daughter wrote to the judge, asking for leniency for her parents: “I’m fully dependent on my parents. All my living expenses are paid by my parents, including clothes, food, money as I need it. My university fees are being paid by my parents,” she expressed.
“I love my parents very much. They are the most important people in my life. If my parents go to prison, I don’t think I’ll be able to cope.”
During the court proceedings, her father denied the allegations of starvation, attributing her condition to being a ‘fussy eater’ and claimed she ate three meals daily plus snacks.
He further argued that her vegetarian and later vegan diet contributed to her weight, a choice she made from a young age.
Her father’s lawyer, Oliver Paxman, stated that the malnutrition was not due to his client’s actions.
“This was never a case about withholding food from a child,” he explained to CNN.
“My client didn’t starve his kid … He never withheld food from her. He loved and spoiled his daughter. She was free to eat as much as she wanted. This case was about inadequate nutrition from a vegan diet.”
However, Judge Black disagreed during sentencing, remarking, “You isolated your daughter, you prevented her from growing up, you prevented her from developing in the way she was entitled to. You did keep her as a little girl long beyond the age where she should have been.”
For those impacted by these issues or seeking confidential support regarding child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline is available at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453), operating 24/7 and accepting calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.