Doctor warned Elizabeth Struhs would not be safe at home years before religious sect killed her by withdrawing medicine

A Queensland coronial inquest has begun into the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, whose family and other members of a religious group were convicted of manslaughter.

The inquest heard that a specialist at Queensland Children’s Hospital raised concerns years earlier about Elizabeth being returned to her mother, Kerrie Struhs. The child had been hospitalised in 2019 after medical care was refused.

The doctor said she prepared a report for child safety authorities and police, warning that Elizabeth could not remain in her mother’s care if insulin and related treatment continued to be denied.

Kerrie was later convicted of failing to provide her daughter with the necessities of life in connection with the earlier incident. The report’s contents and the doctor’s actions are now part of the inquest’s examination of how Elizabeth’s risks were assessed.

The Saints’ 14 adult members, including Elizabeth’s parents, brother and group leader Brendan Stevens, were found guilty of manslaughter last year. The inquest began on Monday; the article does not specify its next steps.