A mother whose baby almost died from starvation due to his mother’s raw food diet has avoided jail and been handed a 14-month suspended sentence.
The 33-year-old Sydney woman was trying to treat her son’s chronic eczema, who would often be covered in blood from scratching.
According to the ABC, the court heard that naturopath Marilyn Bodnar advised her to go on a raw food diet – which consists of fruit, vegetables and seeds – and later convinced her to consume only water.
The child nearly died from starvation and dehydration.
The woman, who is a nurse herself, was spared jail time after she agreed to give evidence against Bodnar.
“The case against the defendant demonstrates a serious example against her training and against the telltale signs which would have been blindingly obvious to anyone,” said Magistrate Ian Guy, who alsoo lifted an AVO condition denying her unsupervised access to the now two-year-old, according to The Guardian.
“I accept she was following advice. That does not mean that she was somehow seduced, tranced into blindly following,” he continued.
“Had he not presented at hospital at that time, he would have died within days.”
Bodnar is facing charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and failing to provide for a child causing danger or death. She has pleaded not guilty and is expected to face trial next week.
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