Brisbane: Elizabeth Struhs’ mother, Kerrie, was evaluated by correctional services as presenting no immediate risk to others by an officer who lacked access to her prior offending history, just three weeks before she and other members of a religious group caused her eight-year-old daughter to die, a Brisbane inquest has been told.
Kerrie Struhs had previously been sentenced to five months in prison for child neglect after failing to take Elizabeth to the hospital for type 1 diabetes treatment in 2019. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard previously heard that Elizabeth was near death and in a coma when she arrived at the hospital. Following that incident, Elizabeth was discharged into the care of her father, Jason Struhs, by the child safety department. Jason was later also convicted of child neglect in connection with the 2019 event.
When Kerrie was released from custody on court-ordered parole in December 2021, she underwent assessments by two different correctional officers, according to the inquest. Elizabeth passed away just 22 days later from diabetic ketoacidosis after Jason stopped administering her insulin at their home in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Kerrie met with a parole intake officer on the day of her prison release. That officer testified that she did not have access to the police and prosecutor file outlining Kerrie's conviction details, nor the sentencing remarks, owing to an administrative oversight. The officer had no prior knowledge of Kerrie aside from basic online information regarding her offense type.
During their meeting, the parole intake officer performed an immediate risk assessment. The file documented a question asking whether the offender had described issues posing an immediate risk to themselves or others, which the officer marked in the negative. Contemporaneous notes revealed that Kerrie told the officer she believed God would heal the child and stated she would repeat her actions, maintaining trust in divine healing.
A senior correctional services official told the court that Kerrie should have been referred to the serious offenders unit given the nature of her child harm offense, which would have ensured tighter supervision. Instead, the intake officer upgraded her risk classification from low to standard, requiring weekly meetings, and scheduled a follow-up appointment before Christmas.
The officer who conducted the December check-in met with Kerrie briefly and did not follow standard procedures, operating as a duty officer near the holiday. A subsequent meeting was scheduled for early January, but Elizabeth died on January 7 after insulin was withheld starting January 3.
Kerrie, Jason, and 12 other adult members of their religious sect were convicted of manslaughter over Elizabeth's death. Legal restrictions prevent the identification of the witnesses testifying at the coronial inquest, which remains ongoing.