A Australian court dictated one 14 -year prison sentence for Jason and Kerrie Struhswho were found guilty of involuntary homicide after Deny insulin and medical attention to your eight -year -old daughter, Elizabeth Struhs. The parents, followers of the religious group The SaintsThey chose to interrupt the child’s treatment by trusting that God would heal her through prayer.
He Queensland Supreme Court He also sentenced 13 years in prison Brendan Stevensgroup leader, for their participation in the death of the girl. Other eleven members of the sect, including Elizabeth’s older brother, received sentences between 6 and 9 years according to their degree of involvement.
The tragedy occurred on January 7, 2022 in TOOWOOMBAabout 125 kilometers from Brisbane. Judicial investigation revealed that, despite knowing the importance of insulin for the survival of their daughter, parents They suspended their administration and avoided going to a hospital. Instead of seeking medical help, they joined in prayer along with other members of the sect.
The ruling of the justice of Australia
The magistrate Justice Burns He emphasized that parents were fully aware of the consequences of their actions. “They knew that the girl would die If they stopped giving him the medication and, even so, they did nothing to obtain medical treatment, “he said.
Regarding Brendan Stevens, the judge pointed it out as “A dangerous and very manipulative person“That influenced the parents to suspend insulin, which directly resulted in the death of the child.
The investigation also revealed that, after the death of Elizabeth, the religious group took more than 24 hours to alert the police, since they believed they could “resurrect it through prayer“
The case caused outrage in Australia, since the death of the girl It could have been avoided with adequate treatment. The Saints, the sect to which the family belonged, is not linked to any formal church and rejects modern medicine with the belief that “God heals everything.”
Jayde Struhs, older sister of the victim and former community of the community, declared Channel 7 in 2022 that The sect imposes absolute control over its followers and prohibits any form of medical assistanceeven in critical situations.
During the trial, the 14 defendants, aged between 22 and 67They chose not to have legal defense or give a statement, which was interpreted as a declaration of non -guidability.
Elizabeth Struhs’s parents had already been prosecuted
However, it was not the first time that the parents of Elizabeth Struhs They did not give the respective care to their daughter. In 2019, the little girl, then 6 years old, had to be admitted to a hospital, because she was serious, because she had not received diagnosis or treatment for diabetes
Then, Jason Struhs rejected the sect that said his daughter would cure thanks to God He finally took her to a hospital. Kerrie, the mother of Elizabethwas sentenced on that occasion to 18 months in jail, while Jason had a judgment in suspense, after declaring against his wife.
Elizabeth died three weeks After his mother left prisonunder probation. He even assured his probation officer that he would deny the insulin to his own daughter.
Source: Ambito
