Coroner moved to tears at inquest of Australian child denied insulin as family prayed

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Booth, R. (2026, October 22). Coroner moved to tears at inquest of Australian child denied insulin as family prayed. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/elizabeth-struhs-australia-insulin-inquest-b3071367.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-10-22 · by Rich Booth

Quick Summary

An Australian coroner was moved to tears during an eight-day inquest on Thursday after hearing testimony from Elizabeth Struhs's older sister, Jayde Struhs, regarding the 2022 death of 8-year-old Elizabeth due to denied insulin for her type-1 diabetes by her parents who rejected modern medicine. The girl's father was convicted last year with other family members and religious group members for manslaughter in relation to this case. Her sister described Elizabeth’s life deprived of ordinary experiences, highlighting missed opportunities for support and joy. The coroner thanked Jayde for her emotional testimony and will recommend measures to the government to prevent similar deaths.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-22, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

An eight-year-old girl, Elizabeth Struhs, died in her Toowoomba home in January 2022 after her father, Jason Struhs, stopped providing her with insulin for her type 1 diabetes. An inquest at the Brisbane Magistrates Court is examining whether various government agencies adequately responded to the case before her death. During the hearing, Elizabeth's mother, Kerrie, told a corrections officer she trusted God would "heal" her daughter. The family was part of The Saints, an anti-medical intervention religious group that pressured Jason Struhs to stop treating his daughter with insulin, believing divine intervention could save her instead. On the final day of the inquest, Elizabeth's sister, Jayde, emotionally recounted memories of her "cheeky" and "clever, kind" sibling, expressing hope that her death can prevent similar tragedies for other children unable to speak for themselves.

Written for “Elizabeth Struhs Inquest Proceedings” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence medium 2 quote(s) discarded as not found in the article
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 98886 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-22

Story

📰 Elizabeth Struhs Inquest Proceedings
Health · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Elizabeth Struhs's mother trusted God would 'heal' 8yo, inquest hears same event · 95%
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe an inquest into Elizabeth Struhs's death due to lack of insulin for her type 1 diabetes, involving testimony from family members and a corrections officer.”
Relatives of Elizabeth Struhs speak at final day of inquest same event · 95%
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 36 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the inquest on Elizabeth Struhs' death due to denied insulin for her type-1 diabetes, involving emotional testimony and examination of government agencies' responses.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Rich Booth
24 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 "Having Elizabeth in our lives is something we would have loved," Jayde said.
2026-10-22 · assertive framing · Coroner moved to tears at inquest of Australian child denied insulin as family prayed
🔮 He will be interviewed in relation to the incident.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Australian MP hit by car outside office as driver arrested
🔮 Flags would fly at half-staff on federal buildings across the country in honor of those affected by the tragedy, he said.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Alberta: Four service members killed and dozens injured in Canada military base fire
🔮 “The coroner and the office of the State Pathologist have been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.”
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Man found on Dublin footpath dies after late night assault
🔮 Meanwhile in Turkey, schools in Istanbul will remain closed on Thursday after heavy rain brought flooding to the city, the Istanbul governor's office has said.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Deadly flooding hits Europe as deaths reported in Greece and Turkey
🔮 “I would also like to pay tribute to the emergency services personnel who have been attending what can only be described as a horrific scene.”
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Irish police open murder investigation after four killed in ‘deeply disturbing’ Waterford arson attack
🔮 The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and BP had all been expected to attend.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Top executives dropped from world oil event schedule after Riyadh airport attacks
🔮 The state told the court that Howard's lawyers did not present evidence that would show he meets the requirements for a claim of intellectual disability.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · America carries out first execution since Christa Pike's failed lethal injection
🔮 "They strike bridges — do they really think we will not respond?
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Dozens arrested at Moscow Communist Party rally amid anger over Ukraine drone strikes
🔮 The student protest movement that has spread across France is now "out of control", the Paris police chief has said as up to 500 schools are set to remain closed on Monday.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Hundreds of schools to remain closed in France as violent student protests continue
Also by Rich Booth
Australian MP hit by car outside office as driver arrested
2026-10-19 · The Independent
Alberta: Four service members killed and dozens injured in Canada military base fire
2026-10-18 · The Independent
Man found on Dublin footpath dies after late night assault
2026-10-18 · The Independent
Deadly flooding hits Europe as deaths reported in Greece and Turkey
2026-10-15 · The Independent
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 24 articles by Rich Booth →

Topics

Australian Brisbane Independent Saints

Subjects

Elizabeth PERSON · 7× Jayde PERSON · 4× Kirkegaard PERSON · 2× Australian NORP · 1× Brisbane GPE · 1× Elizabeth Struhs PERSON · 1× Independent NORP · 1× Jason Struhs PERSON · 1× Jayde Struhs PERSON · 1× Saints ORG · 1×

Narrative

An Australian coroner was moved to tears in Thursday after hearing evidence from the older sister of an 8-year-old girl who died after her insulin was withheld by her parents on religious grounds.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-22
🔮 "Having Elizabeth in our lives is something we would have loved," Jayde said.
2026-10-22 · The Independent
Coroner moved to tears at inquest of Australian child denied insulin as family prayed · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

An Australian coroner was moved to tears in Thursday after hearing evidence from the older sister of an 8-year-old girl who died after her insulin was withheld by her parents on religious grounds. asserted
insulin → move → grounds
Elizabeth Struhs died of ketoacidosis poisoning in 2022 after her father, Jason Struhs, denied her insulin for her type-1 diabetes. asserted
father → die → diabetes
Elizabeth's parents, brother and another 11 members of a religious group that rejects modern medicine were convicted last year of Elizabeth's manslaughter. asserted
that → reject → manslaughter
The 14 members of the congregation, which called itself the "Saints," had gathered around her to pray as she lay dying. asserted
she → call → her
Elizabeth's sister, Jayde Struhs, gave an emotional statement Thursday on the final day of an eight-day coroner's court inquiry in Brisbane into the death. asserted
sister → give → death
Jayde had fled the family in 2014 at the age of 16, having rejected their religious views. asserted
Jayde → flee → views
She spoke of a sister who was never allowed experiences that ordinary people enjoy. asserted
people → speak → that
"Having Elizabeth in our lives is something we would have loved," Jayde said. asserted
Jayde → have → lives
"She would have had everyone helping her manage her diabetes, her health and her learning. asserted
her → have → diabetes
She would have learned about Christmas and the joy of being spoiled rotten. asserted
She → learn → Christmas
Through tears, Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard thanked Jayde for her recollections. asserted
Kirkegaard → thank → recollections
"I think everyone would agree that what you have done this morning is perhaps the hardest job of anyone in this room in the last two weeks," Kirkegaard told Jayde. asserted
Kirkegaard → think → Jayde
"It's an opportunity for us all to reflect that Elizabeth was and remains infinitely more than the events that have brought us here." asserted
that → reflect → us
Kirkegaard will make recommendations to the state government to prevent similar deaths. asserted
Kirkegaard → make → deaths
A date for her findings has not yet been set. asserted
date → set → findings
Elizabeth's mother Kerrie Struhs was imprisoned in 2019 for child neglect after Elizabeth's undiagnosed diabetes left her close to death. asserted
diabetes → imprison → death
After her release from prison in December 2021, the mother told police, parole officers and child welfare workers that she remained convinced that God would heal her child without medical help. asserted
God → tell → help
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