Inquest into Twin Boys' Deaths Hears of Inconsistencies and Unanswered Questions
CAIRNS, Australia – An inquest in Far North Queensland is examining the deaths of 18-week-old twin boys, with the coroner citing significant inconsistencies in the evidence presented. The twins, born at 27 weeks' gestation, had been on home oxygen for about a month before their deaths in late 2021.
Coroner Flags Key Issues
Coroner Melinda Zerner noted "a number of inconsistencies in evidence which have not been addressed." Central to the inquiry are conflicting accounts from the parents regarding the night of the deaths.
"A number of inconsistencies in evidence which have not been addressed." — Coroner Melinda Zerner
Parents' Account of the Morning
The parents testified they were asleep until the father discovered the babies dead around mid-morning.
- The mother said the infants were bathed and put to sleep around 8-9 pm in the parents' room. She settled them and went to sleep herself around midnight.
- The father said he woke at about 10 am, found the babies "stiff and cold," and attempted resuscitation. He noted one baby had purple coloring on the left side of his face.
- The mother was woken by her own mother shouting.
Mobile Phone Data Raises Questions
Council Assisting the Coroner, Laura Reece KC, challenged the couple about data usage on their shared mobile phone between 3:18 am and 5:55 am. Both parents said they were asleep and did not use the phone. Reece stated someone was awake using the phone in the room. The father said he could not remember using the phone at that time.
Father's Actions and Feeding
The court viewed one minute of footage from a neighbor's security camera showing a man at the house go downstairs around 3 am, remove a sheet from the clothesline, shake it off, and return inside. The father said he could not recall doing that but confirmed he was the only male adult upstairs that night.
The father stated he played computer games and watched movies in the same room where the babies slept and went to sleep around 1:30-2 am.
The coroner asked why the babies were not fed for over 12 hours before death. The father replied, "No, I can't" explain.
Legal Protections and Continuation
The coroner indemnified the parents against criminal charges based on truthful evidence and asked if any police officers were in the courtroom.
The inquest continues.