A devout Christian couple who failed to get medical treatment for their sick child have been convicted and discharged after what a judge described as "an error of judgment".
Herman Jongkind, aged 38, and Trijntje Jongkind, 34, of Ruatangata, 19km northwest of Whangarei, pleaded guilty in the Whangarei District Court to failing to provide the necessaries of life to their 17-month-old son, Jesse, over a four-week period last year.
In court for yesterday's sentencing were their eight children, including Jesse, who appears to have fully recovered.
During a part-heard trial last month, the Jongkinds admitted diagnosing Jesse with life-threatening meningococcal meningitis using a text book.
They did not take him to a doctor for almost four weeks, but instead asked their church to pray for him.
A paediatrician had told the court that the boy faced a 95 per cent chance of death if untreated. Conventional treatment in the form of antibiotics reduced that risk to less than 5 per cent.
The Jongkinds changed their plea this week.
Their lawyer, Arthur Fairley, said the couple's ninth child was due in January and they did not want the ongoing stress of awaiting trial.
Judge Michael Lance said he was prepared to trust that the Jongkinds would in future seek medical advice when necessary.
He urged supporters to "keep an eye" on the Jongkinds and not to be frightened to report any concerns they had about the care of the children. "You'll be doing them a favour."
- NZPA
Judge accepts parents' error in care of sick child
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