Alleged manslaughter victim told classmate she was 'treated like a slave' at home, court hears

A girl who was allegedly criminally neglected at the hands of her mother before she died told a friend she was “treated like a slave” and “scared to go back home”, a court has heard.

Warning: This story includes references to child abuse and self-harm, which may be distressing to readers.

Jenni Wilmott, 56, is standing trial in the Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the criminal neglect and manslaughter of her 15-year-old daughter, Jasmine, who took her own life in October 2018.

Giving evidence, a former school friend of Jasmine's told the court she met the teenager when she started at Aberfoyle Park High School.

The former classmate said Jasmine "seemed very troubled" at times.

"She told me she was forced to do things at home, cleaning, whatever, like, her mum told her what to do, she had to do it or she'd get punished for it," the classmate said.

The friend said Jasmine had also told her "she was really scared to go back home".

"There was a time where she said that death would be — or death would feel so much better than being at home because she was so scared to go back."

She said Jasmine had spoken to her about an occasion where police conducted a welfare check and "she basically had to put on a face and pretend like everything was okay or she'd get in trouble".

She said Jasmine told her the police "never listened or believed" her.

"She just told me that, like, Jenni would be watching her if they did speak to her and so it made her hard to tell … the police what was actually going on and it made her scared because if she did tell the truth then she'd get in trouble."

The classmate said she saw Jasmine with bruising and scratches on multiple occasions.

She said on the last day she saw Jasmine, her friend had several bruises, including a large bruise which covered "most" of her face.

"I went into the girls' bathroom with her and she started crying and she looked in the mirror and she was really upset," she said.

"She said to me that she was really scared to go back home and that she wanted to leave school, and I asked her if that was really what she wanted to do and if that was what she wanted to do, then I would meet up with her … at lunchtime and we could go somewhere that's a bit safer."

The classmate told the court the pair later left school at lunchtime and went to her dad's girlfriend's house, where Jasmine had shown other bruises on her legs, arms and torso.

The girl said she photographed the bruises using her iPad, and had shown people including a counsellor, but the iPad was later broken.

She said Jasmine had explained that she had been in trouble because Ms Wilmott had discovered her Facebook account.

The classmate said she, Jasmine and her father's girlfriend later went to her father's house, and they discussed reporting to police the following morning.

The court heard a phone call was made to alert police about Jasmine's whereabouts.

The friend said police later arrived at her father's house and took her away. She said she never saw Jasmine again.

The girl said she remembered Jasmine as "gorgeous", "very shy" but a "lovely person".

"I saw so much in her, like, she was a great person, so friendly, where, even though she was shy, like, you could see that she could have achieved so much in life," she said.

Another witness, the friend's father's girlfriend, said that when police arrived Jasmine had tried to show police her bruises, but one of the officers told her it was not necessary.

"They really weren't interested in looking at her," she told the court.

She said the officers then asked Jasmine to explain what happened.

"So Jasmine in her own words told them … that she just didn't feel safe and that she wanted to stay there the night," the woman said.

She said the officers then took Jasmine outside to speak privately, then explained it was "a family matter" and took Jasmine away.

"She looked so sad. Like, I wish I could have just grabbed her at that moment," she said.

A prosecutor previously told the court it was alleged that prior to her death, Jasmine has endured five years of criminal neglect at the hands of Ms Wilmott.

Neighbour gives evidence

On Thursday, a former neighbour told the court Jasmine had come to his house asking to borrow things on multiple occasions, including hair clippers and to help fix a lawnmower.

"When Jasmine would come over she was quite anxious and knowing that some of the punishment she copped was quite severe, I would feel like I was obligated to help her out a bit," the neighbour said.

He told the court about a time he heard Jasmine crying and could hear "hitting", along with "aggressive" yelling.

He said yelling could be heard coming from the house "on a consistent basis".

The neighbour said on one occasion he called a friend who worked with child services because what was happening was "enough for me to ring someone to get advice".

His wife also told the court she had seen Jasmine mowing the lawn at the front of the house in her underwear and without shoes on one occasion.

She said Jasmine also "looked too small" to be pushing the lawnmower.

Previously, another neighbour described being so concerned about the "really loud screaming" that she contacted an abuse report line but her call went unanswered.

The court has also heard allegations that Ms Wilmott had "marginalised" Jasmine and told people she had various conditions, including an eating disorder, but she had not been diagnosed with those conditions. 

Prosecutors had also alleged Ms Wilmott withheld food, locked Jasmine in an alarmed room and made her do excessive chores in her underwear.

The trial, which is being heard without a jury, is continuing.