A Queensland woman’s prolonged cruelty towards a five-year-old girl included hitting her with a wooden spoon in a series of assaults which left the youngster with bruises, a limp and stomach pains.
Mother-of-nine Rebecca Beverley Naawi, 43, was jailed for three years on Wednesday after pleading guilty to cruelty and assault charges.
The girl was left with Naawi in January 2022 and by May the same year the girl had lost weight, was walking with a limp and her head had been shaved, Brisbane’s District Court was told.
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It’s suspected the girl’s hair was shaved because she had nits.
During her time with Naawi, food and water was withheld from the girl and she was called names.
“She often would not be given a breakfast, lunch or dinner, although the other children in the household were eating,” Chief Judge Brian Devereaux said.
The girl was returned to her guardian after inquiries by the Department of Child Safety.
“If it wasn’t that action by child safety, who knows how long your abuse of the child would have gone on and with what consequences,” Chief Judge Devereaux told Naawi.
The girl told police Naawi hit her on the head with a spoon, called her a “creepy crawly” and “dumb” and told her she wanted her to starve.
Chief Judge Devereaux said there has been a “degree of deliberateness” in Naawi’s conduct.
Naawi has been on bail since June 2022, with conditions preventing her from seeing her children aged under 15.
She was sentenced to three years in prison. She will be eligible for parole in January 2025.
