Vegan parents avoid prison for nutrient starvation for babies on ‘fruit diet’

The vegan parents deprived their baby of nutrients on an extreme plant-based diet and left their daughter with a “devastating” permanent disability.

The couple, who cannot be identified, avoided jail after pleading guilty to causing serious injury through negligence in Victoria County court on Monday.

Both were ordered to serve a 12-month community corrections order and undergo mental health treatment, Judge Claire Quin ordered.

Her daughter was left with cerebral palsy caused by malnutrition due to the strict diet.

The 12-month-old baby was rushed to the Geelong emergency department in August 2018, where doctors discovered bruises, open wounds, rashes and skin discoloration.

They found that he was bleeding internally, had blood in his stools, and needed life support.

They also found that the baby suffered from severe protein-calorie malnutrition known as “Kwashiorkor,” which is often seen in children in countries experiencing famine, the court was informed.

Seven days before the 34-year-old father took the baby to the hospital, he wrote an email to a US-based “herbal” health club.

“Hello, my 1 year old has stopped wanting to drink / eat and when he does he will not lie down or start coughing. What can I do to help her keep the dose low and allow her to drink? She has not. She is on a fruit diet. Please help asap [sic]”the father wrote in an email to the American consultant.

Instead of advising the man to take his son to the hospital, the consultant suggested a “stomach tea” for the baby.

A week later, the girl, who weighed just 6,040 kg, was in intensive care. She stayed there for a month.

Parents began feeding the baby a mixture of coconut water and powders instead of formula after the baby stopped breastfeeding in 2017.

Despite the maternal care nurse’s growing concerns about the baby’s growth, the parents ignored medical advice and missed appointments.

“The coconut mix is ​​definitely not appropriate because it is not nutritionally suitable for a baby,” the nurse told the couple in an email amid growing concern.

They eventually stopped interacting with medical professionals and sought advice on alternative websites in Queensland and the US.

In a message the 32-year-old mother sent her partner, she asked if he would raise the issue of her daughter’s “weight loss and sagging body” with the consultant in the United States.

But the parents, who have since separated, were saved from jail.

The girl is now in the care of the mother, who shows “commitment and devotion” to her daughter and interacts with health professionals.

“The exercise of mercy is justified,” Judge Quin told the court as the mother wiped tears from her eyes.

But she told the parents that their daughter had a long way to go, but that her condition had improved with the benefit of a balanced diet and proper medical care.

“She is facing a difficult and challenging life,” the judge said of the now 3-year-old girl.

If either parent violates the community corrections order or conditions, they would have to appear in court again to be re-sentenced.