Drug-addicted mother who ‘chose to feed her habit over her baby’ learns her fate after little Dexter starves

A mother who ‘chose to nurture her drug addiction over her child’ has been jailed for nine years over his death.

Natalie Jade Whitehead, 38, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday to manslaughter, failure to provide the necessaries of life and negligence causing harm.

She left two babies unattended for at least 21 hours while she took drugs, leading to the death of her eight-month-old son Dexter.

Dexter had been placed in his mother’s care just five days earlier.

Attorney General Matt LeGrand said Whitehead left Dexter and another baby, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a crib sometime after June 16, 2019, along with one bottle between them.

‘She and the (alleged) co-suspect used drugs. They didn’t take the babies’ needs into account. This is clearly visible in the malnutrition and diaper rash,” LeGrand said.

He said Dexter died after suffering from severe neglect of his most basic needs in the form of food and fluids.

“The hours leading up to death would have been extremely taxing both physically and emotionally,” LeGrand said.

When paramedics attended Whitehead’s home at Raceview in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, on June 21, they found her holding Dexter and crying.

A mother who ‘chose to nurture her drug addiction over her child’ has been jailed for nine years over the death of baby Dexter. The photo shows Dexter

Whitehead called triple-0 at 5.42pm and told the operator her baby was ‘completely gone’.

The court heard she had ‘delayed calling the police’ to frantically wash her son’s body and clean her ‘disgusting’ home in a ‘clear attempt to reduce (her) responsibility’, and was accused allegedly aided by her co-accused and then partner Andrew William Campbell.

Police found Whitehead’s unit to be in a “state of disarray,” with dog and cat feces strewn about and dirty diapers “everywhere” near Dexter’s bed. Courier mail reported.

Campbell allegedly dumped a bag in their neighbor’s trash can, telling them not to tell police, and allegedly gave a bag containing drug paraphernalia to another neighbor.

“You and Mr Campbell acted very deplorably in first attempting to minimize the disgusting state of the house and to change the deceased child’s nappy,” Judge Catherine Muir told Whitehead.

Dexter (pictured) died after severe neglect of his most basic needs in the form of food and liquids, the court heard

Campbell, who lived with Whitehead at the time, has been charged with manslaughter and has yet to enter a plea.

Mr LeGrand said Whitehead needed a sentence that would expose her “abject inability” to care for her son and remind the parents that using illegal drugs made them unfit for their responsibilities.

Dexter was returned to Whitehead’s care just five days before his death.

The baby was previously staying with his grandmother and aunt, and they said he was well fed and in good health while with them.

Defense lawyer Joshua Fenton said Whitehead’s drug use had increased over the years as she entered into a number of relationships in which she was a victim of domestic violence.

Andrew William Campbell (photo)

He said she experienced “quite severe” domestic violence from Campbell after Dexter’s death.

Whitehead was also devastated by the sudden loss of her husband in 2016.

She had started using methamphetamine before her husband’s death, but the tragedy caused her to use even more, Mr Fenton said.

‘There are signs of remorse. She was certainly distressed during the triple zero call and at the scene,” Mr Fenton said.

Whitehead wiped away tears as Mr Fenton said she showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder while in custody.

“She has taken steps to address her somewhat limited life skills and substance abuse,” Mr Fenton said.

The court heard Whitehead has three other children, with whom she was likely to have limited contact in the future as a result of her actions.

Judge Muir sentenced Whitehead to nine years in prison, having already spent three years and nine months in custody.

Whitehead will be eligible for parole in June 2025.

Campbell is currently out on bail and his case will be listed for hearing on December 2.