A 10-year-old boy has tragically died from pneumonia after his aunt, who was a nurse, and her partner allegedly failed to get him medical attention for six years.
Senior private hospital nurse Jodie Maree Powell and her partner James Colin Burnham currently face charges of manslaughter for the death of 10-year-old Curtis Powell.
The Courier Mail reports that Ms Powell was appointed as carer for Curtis in 2008, and she allegedly failed to take him to a doctor for more than six years. Curtis had been living with them since he was a toddler, and was supposed to have regular visits from a caseworker, but it is unknown how often these occurred.
Ms Powell’s application for bail on manslaughter, cruelty and interfering with a corpse charges was rejected. Mr Burnham faces the same charges for the boy’s death.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Josh Kelly said that the boy was eventually taken to hospital after family members saw him vomiting and being sick in bed that morning. He said that from looking at Medicare records, “the deceased child had not received any medical treatment for any illness or injury since September 2010.”
Sergeant Kelly said that the child had injuries on his back, groin and legs, possibly as a result of blunt-force trauma, but there was no known cause for the injuries.
Police also found a fork with the boy’s blood on it in the house.
Magistrate Penelope Hay said that the case against Ms Powell was particularly strong given her nursing qualifications.
Ms Powell and Mr Burnham were arrested yesterday after an investigation linked the couple to his death.
