Couple Jailed For Leaving Two-Year-Old Daughter To Die Of Burns Inflicted By Father

A Brisbane couple, who left their two-year-old daughter to die from second-degree burns inflicted by her father who held her under running hot water, has been jailed for over nine years.

The toddler's father Shane David Stokes, 33, and her mother Nicole Betty Moore, 26, pleaded guilty to the torture and manslaughter of Maddilyn-Rose Stokes, during the sentencing hearing at Supreme Court in Brisbane on Friday, reports ABC News.

While Stokes got 11 years in jail, Moore has been sentenced to nine years and six months.

The court was told how Stokes held Maddilyn under running hot water from a tap at their Northgate home in May 2017.

The water scalded the child's back, legs, groin and buttocks. The couple, who failed to call an ambulance until she suffered a cardiac arrest five days later, tried to treat her at home, internet searches revealed. Bandages and toilet paper with blood were found from their home.

Maddilyn died in hospital on May 25, 2017, after paramedics found her unconscious at her home.

According to crown prosecutor Sarah Farnden, the toddler would have suffered "excruciating pain" in the days leading up to her death. "She would have been in great misery and pain over that period of time, unable to walk. She would have been dehydrated and weak, unable to eat and drink properly, possibly vomiting — she likely became delirious and unconscious before ultimately going into cardiac arrest and ceasing breathing," said Farnden.

The court was also told about a blood analysis, which showed the toddler was given anti-depressants to “quieten or tranquilize” her.

Meanwhile, Moore's lawyer Lars Falcongreen said she did not cause the child’s injuries, and believed another child had burnt her. "She never received any other story than that — she wanted to call an ambulance and yes, she should have," Falcongreen said.

"She managed to perform a ridiculous self-delusion to imagine the child would turn a corner — she feared her daughter would be taken from her," he added.