Jason Struhs is the first of 14 members of Toowoomba religious group the Saints to be sentenced for Elizabeth’s 2022 death by withholding insulinFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe father of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs has been sentenced to 14-and-a-half years in prison, with a minimum of 80% to be spent behind bars, for the death of his eight-year-old type 1 diabetic daughter by denying her life-saving insulin.Jason Struhs was the first of 14 members of Toowoomba-based religious sect the Saints to learn his fate at a sentencing hearing in the Queensland supreme court on Wednesday, after they were found guilty of manslaughter over Elizabeth’s January 2022 death by diabetic ketoacidosis.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Fourteen members of a Toowoomba-based religious sect, including Elizabeth Struhs' parents, were sentenced to prison for her manslaughter. Elizabeth, an eight-year-old with type 1 diabetes, died in January 2022 from diabetic ketoacidosis after the sect prayed for her instead of seeking medical help. The sect's leader, Brendan Stevens, received 13 years, while Elizabeth's father, Jason Struhs, and mother, Kerrie Struhs, were sentenced to 14.5 and over 15 years, respectively. The court found their actions caused Elizabeth's "slow and painful death." Other sect members received sentences ranging from six to nine years.
