A court in Perth has granted bail to a couple previously convicted of neglecting their teenage daughter through severe starvation, while simultaneously overturning their convictions.
The individuals in question had contested the jury’s verdict from their trial held in November 2024.
They are scheduled to return to court on April 24 to determine if a retrial will take place.
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The West Australian Court of Appeal has set aside the convictions of a man and woman found guilty in 2024 of starving their nearly 17-year-old daughter, and has approved their release on bail.
In 2021, their daughter was admitted to Perth Children’s Hospital weighing approximately 28 kilograms. Medical professionals indicated that without immediate intervention, her life was at serious risk.
The couple, residing in Perth’s affluent western suburbs, faced two charges related to causing harm to their child and were convicted following a jury trial in November 2024.
Following their appeal, the Court of Appeal in Western Australia annulled their convictions and allowed them to be released on bail, each under a personal undertaking of $50,000 and a surety of the same amount.
Details regarding the court’s rationale for its decision have yet to be released.
The pair is expected to appear in the District Court again on April 24 for a potential retrial.
Earlier, in January 2025, the father received a sentence of over six years in prison, while the mother was sentenced to five years, both with the possibility of parole.
During the sentencing, Judge Linda Black remarked that the parents exhibited “gross negligence” and, despite their love for their daughter, failed to act in her best interests.
It was previously revealed that the father pleaded guilty to falsifying his daughter’s birth certificate to make her appear younger than her actual age.
The girl was taken into state custody after her parents declined to allow her to receive tube feeding at Perth Children’s Hospital, despite her critically low weight.

















