google.com, pub-8701563775261122, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
Australia

Esperance mum jailed for toddler’s abuse

During this visit, doctors began to question the two-year-old’s diagnoses.

Sarah Jayne Kelly and her husband Jacob with two of their four children.

Kelly was unable to provide videos of his seizures, and none of the medical staff witnessed an epileptic seizure themselves.

Levy also told the court that during that stay in early 2023 staff “attempted to feed the child normally after forming the opinion that he did not need a nasogastric tube,” but Kelly blocked them, withheld food from him and insisted he be fed through the tube.

“You threatened to take him from the hospital against medical advice,” Levy said.

The issue was raised with WA police, who charged Kelly with “having care or control of a child who was reckless and may have caused that child suffering”.

The court heard on Wednesday that Kelly told police she was worried about her children having illnesses and may have been “over-presented” to hospitals, believing they were ill.

Levy also said there was a possibility that Kelly would “similarly abuse” another of her children, after a fundraising page showed her donating $2000 to claim a child had leukemia and a brain tumor.

By November 2023, Kelly was found guilty of the charge but fled WA with her husband and children, leading to bail breach charges.

He then submitted the letter, falsely claiming to be a fake doctor to the Court. Suffering from breast cancer and undergoing treatment.

Kelly was charged again with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Loading

“To say this is a difficult and complex issue is an understatement,” Levy said at sentencing Wednesday.

The judge detailed the 30-year-old’s complexities in deciphering what was true and what was a lie.

Kelly’s husband has since been charged after threatening to kill Levy during a jailhouse summons.

Multiple psychologists and psychiatrists assessed Kelly before sentencing, which at times saw him hospitalized from prison after claiming he lost mobility in half his body and suffered from amnesia.

Levy said Wednesday that the woman was suffering from the factitious disorder against her son during the offending period – previously known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.

However, Kelly later said his medical problems turned on themselves in a form of “malling” to gain sympathy from the court while he faced trial.

“Ms. Kelly lied repeatedly for far too long,” Levy said.

“The consequences are that it becomes increasingly difficult to accept everything he says unless it can be verified.

“This poses a real risk to the upbringing of their children in the future.”

The court was told there was previously an order for the mother of four. Arrest in Queensland after being shot on fraud charges Levy told the court on Wednesday he now faces fraud and forgery charges in WA.

Levy sentenced Kelly to three years and nine months in prison, with eligibility for parole after serving half of his sentence, which is backdated to April this year.

He will return to Perth Magistrates Court on Friday to face fraud and forgery charges.

Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button