The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence, which will be served as a community order. They also need to complete parenting and nutrition programmes. The couple had pleaded guilty to failing to provide necessities in life and causing harm.
Authorities found that the 19-month-old child only weighed 4.9 kilograms and looked like a three-month-old. Medical tests also showed that her bones had not developed since birth and that she did not have any teeth due to the malnourishment. She also presented with blue lips, cold hands and feet, low blood sugar and little muscle tone, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Sydney judge Sarah Huggett called the baby’s vegan diet “completely inadequate.” The child was allegedly only fed oats, bananas, peanut butter jelly sandwiches and rice, CNN reported. “This is not the case of an isolated act or omission or a momentary decision made in a pressured context, that led to a danger of serious injury to their child,” she said.
The mother was allegedly suffering from a level of depression at the time but, as the judge put it, had become “increasingly fixated” in her beliefs, including her diet.
The baby has been placed under the care of a relative. She has reportedly made progress in her development.
