When 58-year-old Johnathan Young was rushed to hospital, he weighed the same as an average eleven-year-old, was covered in balls of crawling lice and suffered from grotesquely infected sores.
One nurse said he looked dead and another compared him to a concentration camp worker.
But he had in fact been in the “comfort” of his own home, supposedly being cared for by his partner Libby Baker, while suffering from rectal and renal cancer.
Now, Downing Centre Court has heard the circumstances which Baker’s lawyer’s claim led her to act negligently — nearly 18 months after being found guilty of manslaughter.
A judge alone trial last July ruled Baker failed to care for Mr Young before he was admitted to hospital weighing just 35.8kg.
The court heard he died on October 16, 2012, just 11 days after being hospitalised.
It earlier heard a community services worker visited the couple’s North Richmond home in early October, only to be overwhelmed by the smell of faeces and rotten flesh, with Mr Young’s skin “hanging from his bones”.
Judge Deborah Sweeney found Baker had failed to provide him with proper food, hygiene and medical attention, which led to his death.
In a fresh development, Baker’s defence barrister Josh Brock has argued his client’s “failures are more understandable when reflecting on her unusual life experience of the loss of her mother”.
Mr Brock told the court Baker “has experienced close to a unique experience”.
“Her mother was assaulted in 2005 and effectively remained unconscious until the 22nd of January, 2010,” Mr Brock said, adding her mum then died.
Mr Brock said while Baker hadn’t been formally diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, she “bottled up her emotions and set them aside,” which was “not healthy” but “led to criminal conduct in this case”.
He told the court Baker’s “unresolved grief” was linked to an “avoidant personality” that contributed to her offending.
“Mr Young’s health condition started to emerge only one year before loss of mother … and became extremely acute within two years,” Mr Brock said.
While acknowledging Judge Sweeney ruled Baker was negligent, Mr Brock argued Mr Young had expressed a wish to stay home as he had a close bond with his young adult son.
A young man was with Baker in court on Tuesday, supporting her with regular comforting touches.
The court heard Baker struggled with substance abuse in recent years, particularly of heroin.
Crown prosecutor Tarik Abdulhak argued Baker had shown “prolonged neglect extending weeks, not days”.
“What elevates the seriousness is the sheer range of resources available to the offender,” Mr Abdulhak said.
Judge Sweeney told the court she needed time to consider both sides’ submissions before sentencing Baker on February 23.