A mother of three from Townsville, Queensland has been granted an immediate grant of parole. She had received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for falsifying her daughter’s medical records. That prosecution was heard in the Townsville District Court. It exposed a deeply disturbing course of deception that spanned more than eleven months, as the mother repeatedly faked her daughter’s illness and force-fed her an EpiPen on multiple occasions.
The mother created a gross 104 counterfeit medical files. This comprised 15 doctor letters, 59 medical certificates, 17 anaphylaxis plans and 12 travel plans. The mother provided copies of most of these records to her daughter’s school. She was trying to substantiate her assertions that the child had dangerous medical conditions. At the time of the offenses, the daughter was less than ten years old.
Details of the Offense
For almost a year, the mother fabricated several non-existent illnesses in her daughter. She lied about her daughter suffering from seizures, anaphylaxis, autoimmune deficiencies, type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia, blood disorders, and severe speech disorders. Retired Judge Suzanne Sheridan, who investigated the case at length. The only real health concerns, she discovered, were lactose intolerance, coeliac disease and a mild tickle of macadamia-nut reactions.
Judge Sheridan emphasized the extent of the mother’s deceit, stating, “It was subsequently shown the only medical conditions… were lactose intolerance, coeliac disease and a slight sensitivity to macadamia nuts.” This stark contrast between reality and the mother’s claims raised significant concerns regarding the child’s well-being.
According to news accounts, the mother injected her daughter with an EpiPen more than twenty times. These were not medically necessary actions, yet they imposed medical harms. The judge highlighted the psychological impact on the child, noting, “She refers to a fear of going to a doctor and [of] fear of sharp things touching her … [and] of feeling scared when she was held down and had to get needles.”
Judicial Remarks
In delivering the sentence, Judge Sheridan made clear that he was extremely troubled by the child’s loss of innocence and vulnerability. “Your daughter was a young, innocent child for whom you were responsible,” she remarked. The judge recognized that the mother’s actions might stem from psychological issues, describing them as “almost what you would see in a psychotic person where they have no groundings in reality.”
While the circumstances warranted a significant penalty, Judge Sheridan decided to grant the young mother immediate parole. She considered mitigating circumstances that might reduce the mother’s blameworthiness. “I accept it reduces your moral culpability and that it is a relevant factor in proceeding to sentence you today,” she stated during the court proceedings.
