Methadone mum's prostitution, drug past
By Lisa Davies
February 15, 2008 01:00am
Jury not told of mother's DOCS file
Mother 'known to police'
Alarming file includes child care concerns
A JURY which acquitted a mother of giving her daughter a fatal dose of methadone was not told the woman had a history of prostitution and drug offences, and a Department of Community Services file dating back 20 years.
Julie-Anne Austin was yesterday found not guilty of killing her six-year-old daughter Rose Villanueva-Austin. The court found she had mistakenly given her daughter the potentially deadly drug instead of cough medicine.
Disturbing history
What the jury did not hear were details of her chequered history and the DOCS file which revealed a disturbing history involving children in her care.
Ms Austin has been known to DOCS since the late 1980s, when concerns were raised over the care of her eldest child.
A mother of four, Ms Austin has also served jail time for drugs supply and was "known to police for prostitution and drug offences".
"Children neglected"
The alarming file includes concerns about her children being neglected, inadequately supervised and even lists "parent's criminal activity" as a primary concern at one stage.
After one interview in 1992, a DOCS staffer added a file note about seeing one of Ms Austin's children "hand Julie some sex toys from her bag".
Her drug use was also a repeated cause for concern, with one friend ringing DOCS when Ms Austin "stopped responding during a telephone call" in 1993. Other reports have neighbours claiming to hear Ms Austin "yelling at and belting into" one of her children.
A report in the mid-1990s indicates Ms Austin "presents as a woman who does not take a great deal of responsibility for her actions".
Children left home alone
In the mid-1990s, anonymous callers also sought the involvement of DOCS, claiming Ms Austin was leaving the house at 11pm or midnight, leaving her young child at home alone.
DOCS recommended "ongoing monitoring", especially as it came after one of her children was admitted to hospital "in an intoxicated state" after a visit to neighbours.
In relation to Rose, born in early 1999, there were reports in April 2004 that she was being physically harmed by other children known to her mother, sustaining bite and scratch marks.
The report also alleged that her mother used marijuana and "large amounts of alcohol" daily.
Then six months later, another report came in saying they had observed "sexualised behaviour from Rose".
The jury's verdict means the end of a 2½ year saga which began with Ms Austin and John King both being charged with murder.
The charges against Mr King were dropped but were also controversial, with ICAC being called in to investigate his alleged links with government officials.
It is understood the investigation did not turn up any evidence of impropriety, but an ICAC spokeswoman said she could not comment either way.
"Free to grieve"
Visibly relieved as the verdict was handed down, Ms Austin yesterday tearfully said she was now free to grieve for her daughter after 2½ years of fighting for the truth.
Ms Austin, who has a picture of her daughter tattooed on her back, said Rose was the "best thing" that ever happened to her and the pair had shared a special bond.
