In a shocking outcome, a mother who almost battered her toddler to death for making a mess in the kitchen has not been sentenced to prison. The 26-year-old unidentified mother from Darwin pleaded guilty to causing unlawful damage during proceedings at the Supreme Court.
The woman, a mother to two young children, reportedly subjected her 2-year-old daughter to unimaginable violence in July 2021 which resulted in the child suffering a laceration in the liver tissue and severe bleeding. During the “very heartbreaking” incident, the woman allegedly stomped her daughter before leaving the room briefly.
On returning she found her daughter lying on the floor “barely conscious” as her skin was slowly turning blue, revealed Judge Judith Kelly. The woman’s husband soon woke up after hearing frantic screaming and when he went to assess the situation, his wife confessed to stomping the little child because “the children kept meddling and ransacking (his) property.”
Darwin Navy wife escapes jail time over almost fatal stomping of toddler https://t.co/PVE0DtQyPf
— Ceres Post (@Cerespost) August 18, 2022
She lost her temper after discovering that his daughter and eldest son had made a mess of crisps and biscuits in their home. Following the violent beating, her husband rushed their toddler to the Royal Darwin Hospital where she spent four nights recovering. “There was a chance that your daughter died without fluid resuscitation therapy and strict supervision,” Judge Kelly told the mother.
“For a mother to abuse her young child is extremely upsetting. Children are entitled to and expect to receive both love and protection from their parents and, it must be emphasized, especially from their mothers,” she added according to Louisville Mojo. Despite the barbaric treatment, her two-year and three months prison sentence was entirely thrown out.
She told the court how she had developed PTSD, anxiety and postpartum depression after her child was born. She was allegedly “unhappy” in her marriage. After the horrifying incident, she spent many nights in the hospital’s psychiatric unit, claiming her mental health issues were the cause. The court heard that she is undergoing counseling to help with her mental health and mood problems. As for the young children, they were left extremely disturbed by the incident and their father quit his navy job to take care of them.
Disclaimer: If you know of any children who are being subjected to abuse, please contact The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453.
Cover image source: Getty | Photo by Lisa5201
