The leader of a religious group accused of killing an eight-year-old girl by withholding her medication claims the trial is “religious persecution”.
Brendan Luke Stevens, 62, was the leader of a Christian group that called itself ‘The Saints’ and is on trial for murder along with the girl’s father, 52-year-old Jason Richard Struhs.
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“This isn’t really a trial about murder of a child as it is religious persecution,” Stevens told the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.
The girl’s mother, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, and the other 11 members of the congregation are charged with manslaughter.
Elizabeth Struhs died at the family home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, on January 7, 2022 after her parents and 12 others allegedly withheld her diabetes insulin medication for six days.
All 14 defendants are representing themselves at the judge-only trial and Stevens told Justice Martin Burns he wanted to make a statement to give the group’s “perspective”.
“We believe in God. We see that there is a hypocrisy in the land generally, and we have chosen to walk with God. It is reasonable to believe in God. The prosecution has suggested it is not reasonable,” Stevens said.
Stevens said they had chosen to follow God, rather than man-made laws, and “do not particularly care amongst ourselves what the judgment is”.
The trial continues.