Court Sentencing for Criminal Neglect – Munno Parra, SA – 2026-03-12

Incident Overview

A South Australian court sentenced Adelaide mother Crystal Hanley to 17 years’ jail after she admitted to criminally neglecting her six-year-old daughter, Charlie, who later died. The case relates to events at a home in Munno Parra, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, where Charlie died in 2022. The court heard Charlie died from severe malnutrition. Hanley must serve at least 12 years before she can apply for release in mid-2037.

The court heard Crystal Hanley and her six children lived in squalor in Munno Parra. Charlie died at the home in 2022, and the court heard she died from severe malnutrition.

The report stated Charlie’s birth was never registered, she had no Medicare number, she never saw a dentist, and she never enrolled in school. The court heard warning signs were apparent in the weeks leading up to Charlie’s death, including swelling in her legs and that she could not walk.

Justice Sandi McDonald sentenced Hanley and told the court Hanley had shown what the court heard was a “callous disregard” for her daughter’s deteriorating condition. The report stated the judge adjourned at regular intervals during proceedings.

• Not specified

Regulatory Investigation
Not specified

• Not specified
• Not specified

Company / Union Response
Not specified

In Summary

Crystal Hanley was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in relation to the criminal neglect of her daughter, Charlie, who died in 2022 at a home in Munno Parra. The court ordered that Hanley must serve at least 12 years before she can apply for release in mid-2037.