A mother and GP from Western Australia have been charged with the attempted murder of the woman’s severely disabled six-year-old daughter.
Child Abuse Squad detectives will allege mum Michelle Yvonne Gough and the child attended the Albany-based GP clinic of Dr Pieter Theunis Austin in the state’s Great Southern region on Monday, January 17. During the appointment it’s alleged she was given a prescription “to access a drug to be used to end the child’s life”. Authorities also believe the doctor was aware of the intended use of the drugs.
News.com.au understands the prescribed drug was insulin, however authorities are still waiting on confirmation from toxicology reports from the hospital.
Two days later, the girl was taken to a local medical facility by a concerned family member where she was transferred to Albany Hospital and then the Perth Children’s Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Police arrested the 40-year-old woman on January 28 and charged her with attempting unlawfully to kill. She has been refused bail.
The 47-year-old male GP was also refused bail and charged with the same offence. They are both due to appear at the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on February 16.
According to a GoFundMe campaign created by Ms Gough in 2016, the daughter suffered from a “neurological issue”, which “affects her ability to organise her gross and fine movement patterns”.
The fundraiser was started to raise $20,000 to pay for costly Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration treatment which can help restore underlying neurosensorimotor dysfunction.
“She has been unable to learn to move her body voluntarily or effectively, which means she finds it difficult to eat, chew and swallow,” Ms Gough wrote at the time.
“Holding toys in her hands is mostly impossible without help. When she tries to roll over, push up or become mobile, she has little success and quickly becomes extremely exhausted.”
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