Floreat’s parents found guilty of starvation death of teenage daughter

But the problem wasn’t just his weight; Eyewitnesses told the court the girl was unusually immature for her age, although he believed her to be two years younger than her actual age.

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She would hold her mother’s hand on the way to and from dance lessons; dress like a little kid with a bow in her hair; was interested in soft toys and preschool television programs; and he often sat on his mother’s lap.

They said his parents would speak on his behalf and that he was rarely left alone. Parents insisted on attending every dance class while other parents abandoned their children.

The court heard that the girl was home-schooled and academically bright, was talented at the piano, but appeared to have limited interaction with people outside her parents and dance school.

Both parents were college educated; The mother, a former journalist, gave up her career to become a stay-at-home mother, while the father worked in IT.

The father admitted to the jury that he controlled, verbally abused and coerced his wife.

In 2020, as the walls approached and more people voiced concerns about the girl’s appearance, the dance school insisted that the girl be brought food to eat between classes. While others ate bowls of pasta, he ate a few tomato crackers.

However, on the witness stand, both parents told the court they believed the girl’s appearance was hereditary; that they were both small and skinny as children and that he was just “following the same path.”

They tried to convince the jury that the girl had chosen to become vegan when she was 12 and was “the healthiest child they knew”. They said that there was always food in the house and the girl could eat whatever she wanted.

They also claimed that they did not take concerns about the girl’s weight seriously because they did not believe she was too skinny.

Both parents were charged with two counts of failing to provide care or control of a child who engaged in careless behavior that was likely to cause the child to suffer from the girl’s malnutrition as well as emotional, social and functional neglect.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The couple will be sentenced at a later date.

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