AN EIGHT-year-old girl with diabetes died after her parents denied her life-saving insulin, a court heard.
Her mother, father and other members of the religious cult they belong to allegedly believed that “God would heal her.”
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Little Elizabeth Struhs was found dead in her home in Toowoomba, Australia, on January 7, 2022 – after six days without the drug.
Fourteen members of the religious group The Saints, which includes the girl’s parents, are accused of praying for her to get better instead of seeking medical attention, The Guardian reports.
Elizabeth’s father, Jason Richard Struhs, is accused of murder, along with 62-year-old Brendan Luke Stevens – another member of the group.
His mother Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, and brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, were charged with manslaughter, along with 10 other people.
This includes Brendan Luke Stevens’ wife Loretta Mary Stevens, 67, and their children Acacia Naree Stevens, 31, Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, and Alexander Francis Stevens, 26.
On Wednesday, the group refused to file a lawsuit at the start of the trial, where they appeared without a lawyer, the BBC reports.
Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco previously told the Brisbane Supreme Court that Elizabeth died from diabetic ketoacidosis (blood glucose levels remain dangerously high) after her insulin medication was withdrawn.
This made her “suffer for days” as her health deteriorated, he added.
Describing Elizabeth as an “intelligent and spiritual child,” Ms. Marco stated that she was “too young to understand the terrible consequences of her parents’ decision to take her off insulin, which she ended up paying with her own life.”
The young man, who had type 1 diabetes, was completely suspended from insulin on January 3, 2022.
The judge heard she spent several days in pain and vomiting after meals before falling unconscious, according to news.com.au.
Elizabeth was never taken to the hospital. Instead, the cult allegedly performed a “prayer ritual” that involved playing the guitar, singing and praying for her.
Her body was reportedly found on a mattress on the tile floor of the downstairs living area of her family’s Rangeville home.
Struhs did not administer insulin or seek medical help despite knowing it could kill her daughter, it is alleged.
Stevens is accused of unlawfully killing Elizabeth by advising her father, mother or both not to provide her with the drug.
Struhs is accused of manslaughter on the grounds of failing to provide her daughter with insulin.
“Her parents were well aware of Elizabeth’s condition and the consequences that would follow from having experienced diabetic ketoacidosis two years earlier when she was first diagnosed and nearly died,” Marco said.
“Her extreme beliefs as a small congregation were that God would heal her.”
The trial is expected to take place before High Court judge Martin Burns for 11 weeks, without a jury.
Type 1 diabetes versus type 2 diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes, which cause a person’s blood sugar level to become very high.
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce the hormone insulin.
It affects around 344,000 people in the UK.
Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is much more common, accounting for more than 90% of the 4.4 million adults with diabetes.
It occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells do not react properly.
There are no lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of type 1 diabetes.
But you may be at greater risk of type 2 diabetes if you are overweight or obese, eat unhealthy, have a family history of the disease, take certain medications for a long time, have high blood pressure, and have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
People of Asian, Black African or Afro-Caribbean origin are also at greater risk.
Source: NHS and Diabetes UK
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
