Mother allegedly locked manslaughter victim in alarmed room, neglect trial hears
Jasmine was allegedly criminally neglected by her mother, Jenni Wilmott, who is standing trial in South Australia's Supreme Court. (Supplied: SA Supreme Court)
In short:
A young child told police that Jenni Wilmott, who is standing trial accused of the manslaughter and criminal neglect of her 15-year-old daughter Jasmine, had been abusive to the teenager.
The child's interview with police was recorded in 2022 and played to SA's Supreme Court.
What's next?
The trial, which is being heard without a jury, is continuing.
A mother standing trial for the alleged criminal neglect and manslaughter of her daughter "used to hit her a lot" and would call her "a lying wench", a court has heard.
Warning: This story includes references to child abuse and self-harm, which may be distressing to readers.
Jenni Gaye Wilmott, 56, is standing trial in South Australia's Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to causing her daughter's death on October 4, 2018.
Jasmine took her own life following, what prosecutors allege was, five years of criminal neglect at the hands of Ms Wilmott.
At the time of her death the 15-year-old weighed 32 kilograms, was 144 centimetres tall, and had a body mass index of 15.4.
A 2022 police interview with a child who lived with Ms Wilmott and Jasmine was this week played to the court.
Publication of this evidence was restricted until today.
In the interview, the young child told police that the treatment of Jasmine at home "wasn't that good" and that "we used to hit her a lot, and we'd lock her in her room".
The child told police Jasmine was "usually" hit on the "back, or the back of the legs, or places you wouldn't notice it".
"[Ms Wilmott] mostly used her hand, and she sometimes used like a wooden spoon and … a rolling pin," the child said in the interview.
"We used to have to do inspections of her room to make sure she wasn't like hoarding food or anything.
"[Ms Wilmott] would call her like a lying wench … deceitful as well."
Jenni Wilmott allegedly criminally neglected her daughter Jasmine for five years before the girl died. (ABC News: Eva Blandis)
The child also said on one occasion, following a room "inspection" where they found "a bunch of food", Jasmine was told to "hit herself and she was filming it".
The child also told police in the 2022 interview that there "was a physical lock on the door" on Jasmine's bedroom and that she would only be let out to do chores, eat, drink and go to school.
"When she was washing the dishes [on one occasion], she was telling [Ms Wilmott] to stop [hitting her] because she's going to drop something and break it," the child said.
They also said, on another occasion, Ms Wilmott berated Jasmine for cleaning "too slow".
The child told police that Ms Wilmott would also "get Jasmine to hit herself".
Jenni Wilmott is standing trial in South Australia's Supreme Court. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
When asked, by police, what Ms Wilmott would say while Jasmine was hitting herself, the child said Ms Wilmott would say: "you're not doing it hard enough".
On another occasion when Ms Wilmott collected the child from school, the child said Jasmine was in the car "just like in her underwear, because that's what [Ms Wilmott] would make Jasmine do".
In the police interview, the child said Jasmine would be made to do chores in her underwear.
They said that Jasmine would have "bruises" and "there were scrapes sometimes … just on her back and her legs".
The child also said that "one time, [Ms Wilmott] chopped most of [Jasmine's] hair off … because she got in trouble".
"She was just asking [her] to stop and to not do it," the child said.
"[She] would [also] tell me to punish her and just use my hands."
On one occasion, the child told police they were told to "punch [Jasmine] on the back".
"I was told to put [boxing gloves] on," the child said.
The court previously heard Jasmine was on school holidays, and locked in her room, at the time of her death.
"During school holidays she was always locked in there and I'd take her out around lunch time so she could have something to eat and drink as well," the child told police in the 2022 police interview.
'Scared I'd get in trouble as well'
They said that in the lead up to Jasmine's death, they had "started letting her out", but that on the day of her death they "just felt really paranoid that … [Ms Wilmott] knew".
"She started knocking on the door asking to be let out … she was banging on the door, and I kept telling her 'no'.
"Then she kind of just went quiet for a while … I went up to go to the bathroom and that's when I saw the note slid under the door … I turned off the alarm and opened the door, and I saw her," the child told police.
When asked by police, why the child had not told them of the allegations in earlier interviews, they said: "I was still seeing [Ms Wilmott] at the time and I didn't want her to get angry at me or anything … to do anything to me".
"I was scared I'd get in trouble as well,"the child said.
The court has previously heard from other witnesses who also described seeing bruises on Jasmine at school, along with her lunches smelling "quite off".
It has also heard evidence Jasmine was seen taking food out of rubbish bins at school.
The trial, which is being heard by judge alone in the absence of a jury, is continuing.