A Logan woman who "inexcusably" left two "entirely defenceless" toddlers inside a car for nine hours, while internal temperatures soared over 60 degrees Celsius, has been jailed for nine years over their deaths.
WARNING: This story contains content that readers may find distressing.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Darcey and her 13-month-old sister Chloe-Ann died of hyperthermia inside their mother's car at their Waterford West home in November 2019.
Kerri-Ann Conley, who has already served more than three years in custody, will be eligible for parole in November 2024.
At the time, Conley was charged with their murder under a recently introduced law that expanded the definition of the offence to include reckless indifference to human life.
On Tuesday, Conley, 30, pleaded guilty to downgraded charges of manslaughter in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
She also pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs and utensils.
During a sentencing hearing, the court heard Conley had driven the children home from a friend's house in the early hours of the morning and made a "deliberate decision" to leave them asleep in the car.
The court heard Conley left the doors and windows closed, went inside and then continued to use her phone for an hour and 45 minutes.
After the sun had already risen, she then fell asleep just before 6am, the court heard.
Nine hours passed before the court heard she went outside and pulled her lifeless children from the car, which was estimated to have reached up to 61C internally during the day.
She took the girls inside, but before she contacted emergency services, or the children's father, the court heard she tried to dispose of drug paraphernalia in a rubbish bin.
The court heard when paramedics arrived, both girls were hot to touch, had blisters and skin peeling off, and were declared dead at the scene.
Outside court, Darcey's father Peter Jackson, who also cared for Chloe, said he was not happy with the sentence but had to accept it.
"I can't argue with the judge," he said.
Mr Jackson described the children as "my world" and said he loved "everything" about them.
"They're sadly missed and are every day," he said.
In a victim impact statement submitted to the court and given to the ABC, Mr Jackson said his life "completely changed" after the deaths.
"No parent is supposed to bury their children, it should be the other way around," he wrote.
"That pain will never go away, and nothing could ever replace them."
He said his time with the girls had been "stolen" and it "breaks my heart".
"I will never get that back."
Conley used ice before children's deaths
After Conley was arrested, police learned she had previously left the children in the car in similar circumstances and they also discovered she had tried to hide her drug use, the court heard.
The court heard she later admitted to police she had used the drug ice the day before the deaths.
Crown prosecutor Sarah Dennis told the court Conley's actions against her "entirely defenceless" children were an "egregious breach of trust".
"They were left asleep and presumably restrained in their car seats without the ability or means to free themselves or to seek assistance or to protect themselves from the searing temperatures," she said.
"They were entirely dependent on the defendant, their mother, for their basic needs, one being to keep them protected from harm.
"Rather than doing that, the actions of the defendant exposed them to harm."
Ms Dennis told the court it was not a case of "forgetfulness", and the "tragic consequences" were due to Conley's "self-centredness" and her "reckless and carelessness".
"Her behaviour represented an apathy to her own children that was callous," she said.
"The deaths of these children could have so easily been avoided."
Conduct of a 'chaotic and drug-addicted mother'
Her defence lawyer Jeffrey Hunter told the court there was "not much logic" to his client's "tremendously stupid actions" but attributed her being a "delinquent" parent to her daily drug use.
"Her conduct is consistent with a chaotic and drug-addicted mother who became distracted on her phone and fell asleep," he said.
Mr Hunter told the court the case was not one of "callous abandonment" or "impulsive violence", rather it was negligence and she was remorseful.
"This isn't a case of prolonged neglect or abuse," he said.
"She never for a moment sought to deny her responsibility of what had happened."
'Methamphetamine was a direct cause of the deaths'
When handing down his sentence Justice Peter Applegarth told the court although Conley had "inexcusably" left her children in the car, her conduct after that was "abysmal" and "disastrous".
"Your first, grossly negligent conduct was in deciding to leave your children in that vulnerable place, uncared for, unheard, and unobserved in the dark," he said.
"Not checking on the children and securing their safety at 6am was another aspect of your ongoing, gross criminal neglect of your duty of care as their mother.
"One can only hope that these little girls slowly succumbed to the growing heat of the day much earlier that morning and faded into a deep sleep from which they never returned.
"The alternative of them being awake, distressed, and trapped in their seats is too much to bear thinking about for too long."
Justice Applegarth told the court "no child should have a parent who uses methylamphetamine" as it created a "circle of insecurity, neglect, and dysfunction" or in this case, death.
"If a parent smokes methylamphetamine, even in a tiny quantity, their children can never come first," he said.
"Meth always wins that race — their children, at best, come a very distant second."
Justice Applegarth told the court he accepted Conley was remorseful and "not a day goes by when you do not think of your daughters", including having nightmares about their deaths.
"I accept that you loved your daughters, however, your use of methamphetamine to cope with the stresses and demands in your life was no way to care for them," he said.
"Ultimately, your use of methamphetamine was a direct cause of the deaths of your two daughters."
