Inquest into the Deaths of HC and Child HR
Inquest into the Death of HC and Child HR
Delivered on : 17 April 2025
Delivered at : Perth
Finding of : Deputy State Coroner Linton
Recommendations :N/A
Orders/Rules : N/A
Suppression Order : Yes
The deceased’s names are suppressed from publication. The deceased should be referred to as HC and Child HR in any external publication and no information should be published that might lead to the identification of Child HR.
Summary : HC died on or about 23 April 2022, from traumatic head injury with combined drug and alcohol effect. Four days prior to HC’s death, her daughter, Child HR, was removed from her care by the Department of Communities. On 12 August 2022, four months after the death of HC, Child HR died from terminal palliative care in a girl with a clinical diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia and cerebral palsy.
Child HR was born a healthy baby, however she suffered an acquired brain injury when her mother, HC, fell asleep while breastfeeding her. As a result, Child HR was diagnosed with the most severe form of cerebral palsy and required care to support her in all aspects of her daily living.
Throughout the course of Child HR’s life, there were numerous interactions between the Department of Communities, HC and Child HR. While HC and Child HR loved each other very much, HC struggled to care for Child HR due to her own mental health and substance abuse issues. Ongoing issues were identified in HC’s sobriety and ability to responsibly manage Child HR’s medication and care.
The Deputy State Coroner was satisfied that Department of Communities staff did their best to support HC to keep custody of Child HR. This included coordinating a large amount of funding to ensure that support workers were available almost 24/7 in the home to monitor Child HR when her mother was under the influence. When HC demonstrated she could abstain from alcohol and drugs, Department of Communities stepped away.
It was always known that Child HR had a life-limiting condition due to the known complications of her cerebral palsy, and she had been on a palliative pathway since at least 2020. Ideally, she would have remained in her mothers’ care until the end, but unfortunately that was not possible as the concerns began to mount about HC’s sobriety.
The Deputy State Coroner found that the manner of HC’s death was by way of suicide, and that the manner of Child HR’s death was by way of natural causes.
Catch Words : Natural Causes : Suicide : Department of Communities
Last updated: 25 June 2025