Floreat parents just saw emaciated daughter ‘as their beautiful ballerina’, didn’t see what worried others

WARNING: CONFRONTING IMAGES. The Floreat parents accused of starving their only child have made final pitches to a District Court jury, arguing they just saw her as a beautiful ballerina. The girl was about to turn 17 when she was hospitalised in April 2021, weighing only 28.1kg, then taken into State care the following day after the couple challenged some of the medical treatment. The jury has been repeatedly shown disturbing photos of the emaciated girl taken by dance teacher Michelle Doepel, who was “horrified” to see she had lost weight over the summer break and alerted authorities. The mother’s lawyer, Michael Perrella, conceded in his closing address on Tuesday that the images may also have horrified the jury. But to his client, knowing her daughter had always been small and that trait ran in both of their families: “This was her beautiful ballerina girl”. She simply believed nothing was wrong and “didn’t understand why people were concerned”, Mr Perrella said. The woman believed her daughter was adequately nourished and didn’t require medical attention until a department-mandated GP appointment days before the hospitalisation, he said. Mr Perrella reminded the jury that the mother had tearfully testified her controlling husband did not tell her about the concerns of Ms Doepel, another dance teacher, Tania Shillington and the Department of Communities until the last minute. It’s an argument prosecutor Jenha Winter has labelled a “convenient” bid for him to take the fall. Mr Perrella said the State had listed a swathe of objective features that “blind Freddie” could see meant the child was severely malnourished, but hindsight was “a wonderful thing”. “She didn’t see that anything was wrong,” the lawyer said. “You might think that is not reasonable to a reasonable person, but that is not the test. “It is her state of mind that is central.” Oliver Paxman, representing the father, highlighted a comment the man made on social media beneath another photo of the girl looking painfully thin that read: “What a beautiful photo of my ballerina princess”. “Now that is telling,” Mr Paxman said. “You might see a skinny little girl. He saw something completely different. “His view of his daughter was that she was the most cared for child, that she was not neglected.” The couple would say their daughter had a healthy vegan diet “whenever confronted” and “that’s clearly what they believed”, Mr Paxman said. Both lawyers questioned, as had been suggested by the prosecution that it was unreasonable to allow the girl to decide her own diet at age 12, becoming a vegan after researching animal cruelty. Another teen who did the same at a young age then went on to become renowned for her strong beliefs was climate activist Greta Thunberg, Mr Perrella added. And Mr Paxman said it showed maturity and independent thought, which the prosecution says the home-schooled girl severely lacked, having been infantilised by her parents in a bid to keep her “their little girl forever”. “If that was the plan, why would you give the kid supplements at the same time?” Mr Paxman asked. He said it could be hard for the people closest to an individual to notice incremental changes. “The only way you get that contrast is you haven’t seen them for a while,” the lawyer said, likening it to seeing a nephew at Christmas and remarking how tall he’d grown. “Who wants to force a 16-year-old child to step on a set of scales? “At what point were they meant to be aware?” The man and woman have each been charged with two counts of engaging in reckless conduct in caring for a child that may have resulted in suffering. The first count concerns adequate nutrition and prompt medical care, while the second concerns the now 20-year-old woman’s emotional, social, and functional development. Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image issue, please call Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 334 673 or email support@butterfly.org.au