One of the saddest stories ever. Never forget watching the parents in court.
They were tranked to the gills.
They were tranked to the gills.
Cottage a reminder of lost Ebony
Stapleton, John. Weekend Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 27 June 2009: 6.
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Abstract
[…] the couple cannot sell or let their cottage — the last home of Ebony, the seven-year-old autistic girl who died of starvation in squalid and tragic circumstances, and whose mother and father were this week found guilty of murder and manslaughter.
Full Text
DEBORAH and Chris Alexiou own a neat cottage near the beach in the NSW hamlet of Hawks Nest. It’s a pleasant, well-to-do area that attracts thousands of holidaymakers every year.
But the couple cannot sell or let their cottage — the last home of Ebony, the seven-year-old autistic girl who died of starvation in squalid and tragic circumstances, and whose mother and father were this week found guilty of murder and manslaughter.
Ebony’s bedroom, in which she was locked 24 hours a day, stank of faeces and urine. She had faecal matter in her hair and was so malnourished she had been passing in and out of consciousness for months, unable to move off her putrid mattress.
Mr Alexiou cleaned out the house, including Ebony’s room, with no assistance from the NSW Housing Department, which had recommended the couple to them as tenants.
His wife speaks of his reaction to the task. “He was a different person once he did it,” she told The Weekend Australian. “I don’t know what he saw in that room, he won’t even talk about it. We can’t go back in there.”
All that remains of Ebony are a few finger paintings on plastic plates that still hold the putrid odour of her room. Photographs found in the house reveal her parents bought themselves a pool table, new beds, furniture and Foxtel. But Ebony was not in any of the photos.
Judge Robert Hulme was so appalled by the anonymity that surrounded the little girl, whose name was suppressed by law, that he granted her an identity by allowing her middle name to be published. He decreed that allowing her to die as anonymously as she had lived would only perpetuate the profound abandonment and neglect she had suffered.
When she died in late 2007, Ebony weighed only 9kg, half the weight she was two years previously and about the average for a two-year-old. A healthy seven-year-old girl should weigh 23kg.
Her life was largely spent alone, locked in her bedroom with the windows boarded up.
Only six people attended Ebony’s funeral. By then her parents were already in custody, charged with murder.
While Ebony’s mother was convicted, her father was found guilty of manslaughter because he left the care of his daughter to his wife. He said he had nothing to do with the child’s care — “that’s the mother’s job”. Although he lived in the same house, he had only seen Ebony twice in the eight weeks before she died.
Prosecutor Peter Barnett suggested during the trial that the parents had deliberately starved the child to death because she was autistic and difficult to handle — a “mini-cyclone” they wanted to get rid of. The parents denied they were “getting rid of a problem”.
The family was known to the state government agencies, including the Department of Community Services, the Department of Housing and the Education Department.
During the parents’ trial, police detailed the “substantial lengths” the parents took to avoid contact with government agencies, including dodging DOCS appointments or telling the authorities they were moving interstate.
Ebony’s parents will be sentenced in August. The Alexious, meanwhile, continue to live with the fallout from one of the nation’s most horrific cases.
The couple have pleaded with the NSW government to bulldoze the house and turn it into a memorial park for Ebony, but Premier Nathan Rees has failed to act on their pleas.
Housing Minister David Borger declared this week his government was not in the business of buying houses.
In death, as in life, no one in the apparatus of the state has any time for little Ebony.
Credit: John Stapleton, Nic White, Additional reporting: Graham Storer
Original text:
John Stapleton
Nic White
EBONY starved to death in the bedroom of her parent’s home not far from the beach at Hawks Nest on the NSW coast in late 2007. It’s a well to-do coastal hamlet where former Prime Minister John Howard used to holiday.
The house she died in was a pleasant, neat cottage, owned by a couple who took her parents as tenants on the recommendation of the Department of Housing. They had no idea of the horror was occurring behind closed doors.
When she died, the autistic seven year old weighed only nine kilograms. It was half the weight she was two years previously and about the average weight of two year old. A healthy seven year old girl should weigh 23 kg.
Ebony, whose full name cannot be published, died in the most sordid, squalid and tragic circumstances.
Her bedroom, in which she was locked 24 hours a day, stank of faeces and urine. She had faecal matter in her hair and was so malnourished she had been passing in and out of consciousness for months, unable to move off her stinking mattress.
Her bedroom, in which she was locked 24 hours a day, stank of faeces and urine. She had faecal matter in her hair and was so malnourished she had been passing in and out of consciousness for months, unable to move off her stinking mattress.
Her anonymous life, much of which was spent alone, locked in her bedroom and with the windows boarded up, has only one historical note: hers is the worst case of child neglect Australia has ever seen. When she was found, black vomit covered her mouth and bull ants were crawling over her face.
Only six people attended Ebony’s funeral. By then her parents were already in custody, charged with murder.
What everybody wants to know is: How could any parent deliberately starve their child to death? And how could child protection officers, who had been well acquainted with the family for 14 years, let this happen? Why didn’t the education authorities ask why she never went to school?
Ebony was born in 2000 at Campbelltown Hospital in western Sydney, the heart of Sydney’s welfare dependent under-class.
Not long after her birth, her drug addicted parents and two siblings moved to Matraville in Sydney’s south east. Neighbours who could see her through the window reported her deteriorating condition to welfare authorities, but were ignored. Another, younger sister, born five years after Ebony, was removed within weeks of her birth while Ebony remained locked in her room.
Not long after her birth, her drug addicted parents and two siblings moved to Matraville in Sydney’s south east. Neighbours who could see her through the window reported her deteriorating condition to welfare authorities, but were ignored. Another, younger sister, born five years after Ebony, was removed within weeks of her birth while Ebony remained locked in her room.
When the family moved out of Matraville, five truck loads of debris, including human faeces, were removed from the house.
The family were well known to State Government agencies including the NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS), the Department of Housing and the Education Department, since 1993.
During the parent’s trial this month police detailed the “substantial lengths” the family went to avoid contact with government agencies, including dodging DOCS appointments or telling authorities they were moving interstate.
Apart from a few tears on the opening day, throughout their three-week trial Ebony’s parents sat expressionless in the dock, showing no signs of shame, guilt, regret or remorse.
This week a jury found Ebony’s mother guilty of murder. Her father, who has the words “Dead Evil” tattooed on his knuckles, was found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder because he left the care of his daughter to his wife. He said he had nothing to do with the child’s care, “that’s the mother’s job”. Although he lived in the same house, he had only seen Ebony twice in the eight weeks before she died. He was legally prescribed 500 valium a month and was addicted to pain killers. Asked if he was concerned about the smell of urine coming from his daughter’s room he said: “No, I breathe through my mouth.”
Independent journalist Graham Storer, who covered the trail for Australian Associated Press, said Ebony’s parents were different to most dysfunctional families. “My observation was they were actually quite intelligent. They systematically squeezed every last cent out of every government department possible while doctor shopping for large quantities of prescription drugs.”
At the beginning of the trial prosecutor Peter Barnett warned jurors “if images of the Holocaust, of Nazi Germany concentration camps disturb you, you may find this evidence confronting”.
Ambulance officers found Ebony’s skeletal frame lying on a urine soaked mattress, reeking of faeces, her skin stretched tight over her skull, “leathery in appearance, almost mummified”. The bones of her ribcage were sticking out and her muscles had wasted away, the most emaciated experts had ever seen.
There was no food in her stomach. Investigation of her lungs showed she had almost never been outside.
Upon discovering her daughter’s dead body, the mother spent three hours in her daughter’s room trying to revive her.
Meanwhile, Ebony’s father won some money gambling online. Although his elder daughters warned him “something was wrong” in Ebony’s room, he kept on betting, believing he was on a roll. Finally the mother emerged from the room, told him Ebony was dead and insisted he get rid of the body.
Upon discovering her daughter’s dead body, the mother spent three hours in her daughter’s room trying to revive her.
Meanwhile, Ebony’s father won some money gambling online. Although his elder daughters warned him “something was wrong” in Ebony’s room, he kept on betting, believing he was on a roll. Finally the mother emerged from the room, told him Ebony was dead and insisted he get rid of the body.
Six hours after her death he rang 000.
Both parents pleaded not guilty and tried to convince the jury they had no idea their daughter was ill. Ebony’s mother told the court there was nothing about her daughter’s appearance which caused her concern. The father claimed all his children were looked after “like gold”.
Both parents pleaded not guilty and tried to convince the jury they had no idea their daughter was ill. Ebony’s mother told the court there was nothing about her daughter’s appearance which caused her concern. The father claimed all his children were looked after “like gold”.
Crown Prosecutor Peter Barnett suggested the parents had deliberately starved the child to death because she was autistic and difficult to handle, a “mini-cyclone” they wanted to get rid of. The parents denied they were “getting rid of a problem”.
A doctor told the court that during the previous 24-hours it would have been obvious to any onlooker the child was dying and Ebony could have easily been saved if taken to hospital.
Dr Edward O’Loughlin said he had seen pictures in textbooks of Holocaust victims, but the girl was “one of the most profoundly malnourished images I have ever seen. There was faeces in her hair which would indicate a serious state of neglect.”
In 2007, amidst a blizzard of headlines, the family disappeared from the Hawks Nest home, only to be picked up at a south coast railway station a fortnight later. They had more than $4,300 in cash on them.
While Ebony remained nameless throughout the trial due to reporting restrictions on child victims of crime, this week, clearly moved by the case of “this poor little girl”, Justice Robert Hulme decreed allowing her to die as anonymously as she had lived would only perpetuate the profound abandonment and neglect she suffered. He granted her an identity, “Ebony”, her middle name.
Beyond the court case and the public outrage, all that remains of Ebony are a few finger paintings on plastic plates which still hold the putrid odour of her room. Photographs found in the house reveal her parents bought themselves and her sisters a pool table, new beds, furniture and Foxtel. Ebony was not present in any of the family photos.
Ebony’s parents will be sentenced in Newcastle on 6 and 7 August. The NSW Ombudsman will release a report on the family’s dealings with several government departments immediately afterwards.
Deborah and Chris Alexiou still own the Hawks Nest house, now infamous as the place house where a little girl was starved to death by her parents. They cannot sell or rent it.
Mr Alexiou was forced to clean out the house, including Ebonys room, by himself with no government assistance. “He was a different person once he did it,” his wife said. “I don’t know what he saw in that room, he won’t even talk about it. We can’t go back in there.”
The couple have pleaded with the NSW government to bulldoze the house and turn it into a memorial park for Ebony. Premier Nathan Rees has ignored their pleas. This week the Housing Minister David Borger declared his government was not in the business of buying houses.
In death, as in life, no one in the vast apparatus of the state has any time for little Ebony.
Additional reporting: Graham Storer.
Additional reporting: Graham Storer.