The parents of an eight-year-old diabetic girl in Australia have each received 14-year prison sentences for manslaughter after denying her insulin for nearly a week, resulting in her death.
Elizabeth Struhs was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2019, requiring daily insulin injections. Her parents belonged to a religious group called The Saints, which rejected medical treatment in favor of faith healing. She died from diabetic ketoacidosis at her Toowoomba home near Brisbane in January 2022.
Her father Jason Struhs and mother Elizabeth Struhs were among 14 people convicted of manslaughter last month. The Saints’ leader Brendan Stevens received a 13-year sentence, with the Queensland Supreme Court judge describing him as a “dangerous, highly manipulative individual.” Eleven other members received sentences ranging from six to nine years.
Stevens and the girl’s father had faced murder charges but were convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. All defendants had pleaded not guilty.
In his extensive verdict, Justice Martin Burns acknowledged that while Elizabeth was clearly loved by her parents and “every member of the church including all other accused,” their “singular belief in the healing power of God” deprived her of life-saving treatment.
Prosecutor Caroline Marco described how Elizabeth would have experienced vomiting, extreme lethargy, and loss of consciousness as congregation members prayed and sang around her mattress while her condition worsened. Believing in resurrection, the group made no effort to seek medical help, and authorities weren’t notified until 36 hours after her death.
“Elizabeth is only sleeping, and I will see her again,” her father had testified.
Stevens, 63, defended the group’s actions as faith-based and claimed the trial represented “religious persecution,” arguing they had the “rights to believe in the word of God completely.”
Elizabeth’s sister Jayde Struhs had previously left the Saints at age 16 after coming out as gay. She and other witnesses described the congregation as holding strict views against mainstream healthcare and considering Christmas and Easter as “pagan” celebrations.
The Saints are not affiliated with any established Australian church and comprise approximately two dozen members from three families.
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