Perth, February 1: A court in Perth, Australia, sentenced a father to six-and-a-half years in prison, while the mother received a five-year term for starving their daughter in a bid to keep her a “little girl forever”. The parents, both 47, were found guilty of child abuse-related charges, including neglecting to provide proper nutrition and forging documents to alter their daughter's age. Their actions led to severe health complications for the now 20-year-old, who was hospitalised at age 16 due to malnutrition.

The case came to light in 2021 when the girl, then 16, was discovered to be severely malnourished, weighing just 60 pounds. Concerns were first raised by her ballet teachers, who observed her frail appearance and alarming weight loss. Despite efforts to alert the parents, they repeatedly dismissed the warnings, claiming that their daughter was naturally small or on a vegan diet. According to a report by The Mirror, the couple had kept their daughter isolated and homeschooled, with minimal contact outside their control. Australia Shocker: 12-Year-Old Girl Dies by Suicide After Being Bullied Online For Being ‘Too Beautiful’ in Aitkenvale.

Medical professionals eventually intervened after the girl’s condition worsened. A doctor was shocked to find her weight dangerously low, equivalent to that of an eight-year-old. Despite this, the parents resisted medical treatment, and it wasn’t until authorities threatened legal action that they took her to the hospital. By then, the girl’s health was in critical condition, and she required immediate treatment, including a feeding tube, to address life-threatening malnutrition. Australia Shocker: TikTok Influencer Poisons Her 1-Year-Old Daughter, Posts Videos on Social Media To Get Donation and Boost Followers; Arrested.

During the trial, it was revealed that the parents had tried to keep their daughter in a perpetual state of childhood by controlling her diet and interests, including dressing her in preschool clothes. They even forged her birth certificate to make her seem younger than her actual age. The Mirror report highlighted that the girl's emotional and social development was severely stunted, leaving her unable to perform basic life skills, even at the age of 20. The parents’ actions were described as a blatant violation of their parental duties, leaving their daughter unable to function independently. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2025 05:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).