The parents of a Queensland girl have been sentenced to 14 years in jail, after withholding insulin from the diabetic, causing her death.
The body of 8-year-old Elizabeth Struhs was found at their home in Toowoomba in January of 2022.
Deep dive into the Toowoomba religious group and the death of Elizabeth Struhs on The Briefing:
Her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced by a judge yesterday who told the court:
“Elizabeth’s death remains profoundly disturbing. If for no other reason that it was so entirely and easily preventable”.
Elizabeth’s sister Jayde said outside court yesterday, “Today we got justice for Elizabeth”.
The couple had joined the extreme religious cult ‘The Saints’. The group believed God would heal Elizabeth of her diabetes and that she didn’t need medicine.
Eleven other members were also sentenced yesterday, all of them receiving jail terms ranging from 6 to 9 years.
Among them was the cult’s leader, Brendan Stevens, who was described by Justice Burns as a “dangerous, highly manipulative” individual who led the campaign within the church to convince the girl’s dad to withdraw his daughter’s insulin.
Stevens was handed a 13-year sentence. Both he and Elizabeth’s dad were also accused of murder but were acquitted of that charge.
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