A Queensland couple have been charged after allegedly allowing their daughter to die from a ‘totally survivable’ illness.
Breannon, 24, and Jack Campbell, 25, are accused of failing to provide the necessities of life to their daughter Penelope, three, after she died at Townsville University Hospital on July 7 last year.
According to posts online, the toddler lived with inherited disorder Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency, in which sufferers’ bodies are unable to breakdown certain fats and convert them to energy, resulting in low blood sugar.
Police will allege Penelope’s condition was completely treatable and her death was the result of neglect.
Penelope Campbell, three, (pictured) died in Townsville University Hospital on 7 July, 2022
‘This was a totally survivable medical condition,’ Detective Senior Sergeant David Miles told reporters.
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‘Our case is that this child should not have died from this condition [and] this is a case of negligence on behalf of the family.’
Senior Sergeant Miles said the young girl had a ‘very detailed treatment plan’ that needed to be followed in certain circumstances.
‘There was a whole range of medical professionals for the family to access,’ he said.
‘This happened on a number of occasions and the parents responded appropriately, on this occasion, however, they haven’t done so and the child deteriorated over a period of 24 hours and that resulted in the child’s death.’
The man and woman will face Townsville Magistrates Court in February.
Her parents Breannon and Jack (pictured together) have been charged with alleged negligence
