Mother had airfares plan
Family bought tickets
THE mother of the ninemonth-old girl whose body washed ashore on Surfers Paradise beach allegedly called her parents for “oneway tickets to Melbourne” just weeks before the baby died.
According to documents filed in the Tweed Heads Local Court, police claim the woman’s mother booked three flights from the Gold Coast to Melbourne costing $940 on October 6.
She and the grandfather waited at Melbourne airport but their daughter and two grandchildren never arrived.
Six weeks later, on November 17, their granddaughter was found dead on Surfers Paradise beach. Her father, 47, has been charged with murder. Police allege he tossed her into the Tweed River two days earlier because he thought she was the “devil”.
The girl’s 23-year-old mother, who had a private school upbringing, has been charged with failing to provide for her child. They cannot be named for legal reasons.
According to the NSW police fact sheet, it is alleged the girl’s Victorian grandparents had been trying to help their daughter and the family for five years.
They paid for rent, searched for her when she went missing, put her through mental health facilities and were there for the birth of her two children, it is alleged.
On October 6, the 23-yearold allegedly phoned her mother asking for three tickets to Melbourne. A month earlier she called to tell her to stop paying the rent on their Surfers Paradise apartment because they were living on the street.
“(The grandmother) enquired about a ticket for (the father) however (the mother) specifically told her that he was not coming and for the tickets to be one way,” it is claimed in the documents.
Police allege the grandmother said she would do it over the next few days but her daughter wanted to leave straight away.
“No can it be today, I’ve given away the tent and gas bottle,” the mother is alleged to have said.
On Tuesday, the 23-yearold mother was granted bail from Tweed Heads Local Court and ordered to attend a mental healthy facility.
Defence Lawyer Tom Ivey said her parents were very supportive of her. “They are flying to the area very soon and will help her settle in to the facility,” he said.
Police allege the mother “had adequate support from both of her parents … from the time of (the baby’s) birth up until the time of her death”.
“The accused continued to live on the street despite efforts on the part of her parents to ensure she had a house to live in,” police allege.
According to allegations contained in court documents, the girl’s 23-year-old mother claims her 47-year-old partner slew the devil and “did what had to be done”.
“I was not there when the babe was sleighed (sic), it was not for me to know, or my burden to bare,” a note in her diary allegedly reads.