WARNING: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

A mother accused of starving her dangerously underweight teenage daughter told a court the girl’s skinny appearance was down to genetics and it was her “maternal instinct” to help her with basic tasks such as brushing her hair.

The girl was supposed to testify at the trial, but the jury was told Thursday afternoon that she would not testify at all.

The mother, who cannot be identified to protect her daughter’s identity, is on trial with her husband, the girl’s father, in the Regional Court of Justice on charges of causing her daughter to suffer.

The teenager’s worryingly gaunt appearance was brought to the attention of authorities in 2020 by two separate ballet teachers who were concerned about her health.

Initially reluctant, the parents eventually took him to hospital in April 2021, where he was found to weigh just over 27 pounds, just days shy of his 17th birthday; The court heard this was about the weight of an average nine-year-old child.

Today, the mother continued to deny under oath that anyone had ever expressed concern about her daughter’s health or that she had noticed anything about the teenager’s appearance.

Medical records shown in court showed the girl gained just 7 kilos between the ages of 6 and 13, and another 7 kilos by the time she was weighed in hospital in April 2021 at age 16. However, her mother said that she had never weighed her daughter at home and had never weighed her. He was aware of how much he weighed.

“I couldn’t tell by looking at it. It looked proportionally the same,” he said.

‘Just a skinny Minnie’

The mother said that although a GP found that she weighed 14 kilos when she was six-and-a-half, the doctor did not raise any concerns about this.

“The doctor said ‘she’s just a skinny Minnie’,” he told the court.

Prosecutor Jehna Winter told the mother she and her husband had devised a plan to “take the blame” for their daughter’s condition, allowing the other to avoid responsibility.

He said it was impossible for the mother, who homeschooled her daughter, took her to ballet lessons and was with her almost every day, not to have noticed her deteriorating health.

However, the mother denied this.

“He’s always been like that,” he said.

In April 2021, at the request of the Ministry for Communities, the parents took the girl to a GP appointment, where the doctor expressed serious concerns about the teenager’s condition.

The court heard the family lied to the GP about the girl’s age and the doctor thought she was 14, not 17, but still thought the girl was dangerously underweight for a 14-year-old and was in danger of death. and need urgent hospitalization.

However, the mother denied this.

“What part of ‘He was overweight and needed to go to the hospital’ didn’t you understand?” Mrs. Winter asked.

“I was confused and in a state of shock at the time,” the mother said, noting that the family’s cat had recently died and emotions were very high.

She said she and her husband took their daughter to hospital the following week because of a letter they felt the Department for Communities had to comply with.

On arrival at the hospital, the mother said she was against her daughter being fed through a tube because she thought it could lead to a heart attack, but doctors explained there was a risk of this happening if she was not fed through the tube.

The mother claimed that the hospital did not allow her to perform a full bone scan due to radiation and that the staff did not explain the reason for the tests and the risks involved.

Confirming that he was talking about Aishwarya Aswath’s death, the mother said, “I was afraid of her being there because a little girl had died there.” he said.

“It was all over the news…it was very dangerous out here.”

‘Maternal instinct’

But Ms Winter said Aishwarya’s situation was very different, with her parents urgently seeking help from the emergency room and being told “that’s not your situation, is it?”

The mother said, “It doesn’t matter. All I knew was that the hospital killed that child.”

The mother acknowledged under cross-examination that she had helped with the teenager’s personal care while he was in hospital, but only because he was “anxious and traumatised” and insisted that he generally did not need help showering, toileting or toileting. Brush your hair or teeth.

“It was my maternal instinct to help him,” the mother said.

Prosecutor Jehna Winter allegedly lashed out at her mother while combing her daughter’s hair, “why don’t you teach me?” He denied the claim that he shouted and said “it wasn’t the time” to teach his daughter independent skills. while he was in such distress.

“You did everything you could for her your whole life because you wanted her to be your little girl forever,” Ms. Winter said.

“You treated him like a child, and he looked and acted like a child, even at 17.”

However, his mother said this was not true.

The trial continues.

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