Overview
- Crystal Leanne Hanley, 49, earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal neglect, leading to the withdrawal of two further neglect charges and a manslaughter count.
- Prosecutors said Hanley repeatedly lied about seeking medical care as Charlie’s condition deteriorated to the point she could no longer walk, and that Hanley called emergency services about 1am after the child fell from a makeshift bed and stopped breathing.
- Hospital staff testified the six-year-old weighed about 18 kilograms, was riddled with lice, and was so unclean they could not provide a clean resting body, with death caused by cardiac failure linked to anaemia and severe iron deficiency.
- A detective told the court the stench and squalor in the Munno Para home were unlike anything he had seen in his career.
- Victim impact statements from surviving children condemned their mother’s neglect, while the defence cited Hanley’s methamphetamine addiction and presented a letter of apology; she remains in custody as the case returns for further submissions.