‘She's a fighter': Parents of teen hit during Burswood cruise meet release heartfelt statement
Caitlyn Dickson, 17, was struck by the black Honda Civic on Camfield Drive near Crown Perth just before 10pm on Monday as the pre-arranged car club meeting was dispersing.
In a statement, her parents, Paul and Bec Dickson said they were 'still in shock'.
'We can't believe what has happened,' they wrote.
'We are so very grateful to the first responders. It is a miracle that our beautiful girl is still alive – thanks to your efforts.
'Caitlyn is a fighter and we know is in for the fight of her life.'
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help the family with 'emergency surgeries and ongoing medical care to rehabilitation, home adjustments, and time away from work'.
'A devastating accident occurred that has left Caitlyn with life-changing injuries and turned her family's world upside down,' the page reads.
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The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Mother of baby found dead in freezer spared jail
The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time. Monique Ellen Burton gave birth to a child, known as Baby Burton, in secret in the lounge room of her home at Geraldton in Western Australia in August 2022. The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn. She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch. Burton kept the pregnancy secret from her partner of 14 years Shaun Balaam, who was not the biological father, and kept lying even after he took her to hospital despite inquiries from staff. Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda. Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened. It was not the first pregnancy she kept secret and Burton repeatedly lied about having liver issues to explain away her pregnancy symptoms including her swollen belly. She told police her memory of the events was "really fuzzy" and she disassociated. Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation. During sentencing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton said it was not possible to determine Baby Burton's cause of death because he was placed in the freezer but it was likely he was stillborn. "You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll," he noted. The mother was handed an 19-month suspended jail sentence, with the judge finding her motive for hiding the pregnancy stemmed from a desire to avoid the consequences of what would happen if the secret was found out. "What you did involved a degree of indignity towards Baby Burton and would quite rightly be viewed as repugnant by members of the community," Judge Renton said. He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending. She was also hit with fraud charges related to a GoFundMe someone else set up to cover expenses related to her ficticious liver issues, although the judge noted she did not create the fundraiser and even though she accepted more than $3000 her actions were "largely passive". Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order. The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time. Monique Ellen Burton gave birth to a child, known as Baby Burton, in secret in the lounge room of her home at Geraldton in Western Australia in August 2022. The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn. She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch. Burton kept the pregnancy secret from her partner of 14 years Shaun Balaam, who was not the biological father, and kept lying even after he took her to hospital despite inquiries from staff. Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda. Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened. It was not the first pregnancy she kept secret and Burton repeatedly lied about having liver issues to explain away her pregnancy symptoms including her swollen belly. She told police her memory of the events was "really fuzzy" and she disassociated. Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation. During sentencing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton said it was not possible to determine Baby Burton's cause of death because he was placed in the freezer but it was likely he was stillborn. "You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll," he noted. The mother was handed an 19-month suspended jail sentence, with the judge finding her motive for hiding the pregnancy stemmed from a desire to avoid the consequences of what would happen if the secret was found out. "What you did involved a degree of indignity towards Baby Burton and would quite rightly be viewed as repugnant by members of the community," Judge Renton said. He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending. She was also hit with fraud charges related to a GoFundMe someone else set up to cover expenses related to her ficticious liver issues, although the judge noted she did not create the fundraiser and even though she accepted more than $3000 her actions were "largely passive". Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order. The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time. Monique Ellen Burton gave birth to a child, known as Baby Burton, in secret in the lounge room of her home at Geraldton in Western Australia in August 2022. The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn. She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch. Burton kept the pregnancy secret from her partner of 14 years Shaun Balaam, who was not the biological father, and kept lying even after he took her to hospital despite inquiries from staff. Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda. Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened. It was not the first pregnancy she kept secret and Burton repeatedly lied about having liver issues to explain away her pregnancy symptoms including her swollen belly. She told police her memory of the events was "really fuzzy" and she disassociated. Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation. During sentencing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton said it was not possible to determine Baby Burton's cause of death because he was placed in the freezer but it was likely he was stillborn. "You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll," he noted. The mother was handed an 19-month suspended jail sentence, with the judge finding her motive for hiding the pregnancy stemmed from a desire to avoid the consequences of what would happen if the secret was found out. "What you did involved a degree of indignity towards Baby Burton and would quite rightly be viewed as repugnant by members of the community," Judge Renton said. He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending. She was also hit with fraud charges related to a GoFundMe someone else set up to cover expenses related to her ficticious liver issues, although the judge noted she did not create the fundraiser and even though she accepted more than $3000 her actions were "largely passive". Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order. The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time. Monique Ellen Burton gave birth to a child, known as Baby Burton, in secret in the lounge room of her home at Geraldton in Western Australia in August 2022. The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn. She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch. Burton kept the pregnancy secret from her partner of 14 years Shaun Balaam, who was not the biological father, and kept lying even after he took her to hospital despite inquiries from staff. Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda. Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened. It was not the first pregnancy she kept secret and Burton repeatedly lied about having liver issues to explain away her pregnancy symptoms including her swollen belly. She told police her memory of the events was "really fuzzy" and she disassociated. Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation. During sentencing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton said it was not possible to determine Baby Burton's cause of death because he was placed in the freezer but it was likely he was stillborn. "You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll," he noted. The mother was handed an 19-month suspended jail sentence, with the judge finding her motive for hiding the pregnancy stemmed from a desire to avoid the consequences of what would happen if the secret was found out. "What you did involved a degree of indignity towards Baby Burton and would quite rightly be viewed as repugnant by members of the community," Judge Renton said. He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending. She was also hit with fraud charges related to a GoFundMe someone else set up to cover expenses related to her ficticious liver issues, although the judge noted she did not create the fundraiser and even though she accepted more than $3000 her actions were "largely passive". Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mother of baby found dead in freezer spared jail
The mother of a baby found dead in a freezer after she concealed her pregnancy has avoided jail time. Monique Ellen Burton gave birth to a child, known as Baby Burton, in secret in the lounge room of her home at Geraldton in Western Australia in August 2022. The now 35-year-old said the child was stillborn. She wrapped the body up in her leggings before concealing the baby in a black garbage bag which she hid behind her couch. Burton kept the pregnancy secret from her partner of 14 years Shaun Balaam, who was not the biological father, and kept lying even after he took her to hospital despite inquiries from staff. Later, when Balaam popped home he found the bag, he thought he may have felt a head inside and hid the bag in a freezer on their veranda. Burton, still in hospital, was unaware he did this at the time but later told police what happened. It was not the first pregnancy she kept secret and Burton repeatedly lied about having liver issues to explain away her pregnancy symptoms including her swollen belly. She told police her memory of the events was "really fuzzy" and she disassociated. Earlier this week, Burton pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a corpse to prevent or prejudice an investigation. During sentencing in the District Court on Friday, Judge Darren Renton said it was not possible to determine Baby Burton's cause of death because he was placed in the freezer but it was likely he was stillborn. "You said there was no noise from the baby and he looked like a doll," he noted. The mother was handed an 19-month suspended jail sentence, with the judge finding her motive for hiding the pregnancy stemmed from a desire to avoid the consequences of what would happen if the secret was found out. "What you did involved a degree of indignity towards Baby Burton and would quite rightly be viewed as repugnant by members of the community," Judge Renton said. He said she had expressed significant remorse and had a low risk of reoffending. She was also hit with fraud charges related to a GoFundMe someone else set up to cover expenses related to her ficticious liver issues, although the judge noted she did not create the fundraiser and even though she accepted more than $3000 her actions were "largely passive". Balaam pleaded guilty to a similar crime and was previously handed an 18 month community corrections order.
7NEWS
15 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Geraldton mum Monique Ellen Burton learns fate after newborn baby she hid in garbage bag found in freezer
A mother who disposed of her newborn's body in a bin bag behind a couch before it was found in a backyard freezer has avoided jail. Monique Ellen Burton, 35, was handed a suspended prison term for interfering with her baby's corpse by what the judge called a 'bare margin'. On Friday, District Court Judge Darren Renton called the case 'tragic ... on many levels'. He agreed with Burton's defence lawyers that the mother took a 'head-in-the-sand approach', and lived in a 'state of denial and avoidance'. This was not the first pregnancy she had concealed, but her fourth. Burton, from Geraldton, four hours north of Perth, gave birth to the baby boy in secret in her lounge room in August 2022, while her partner and children slept in other rooms. She then wrapped the infant in underwear, placed him in a garbage bag and put him behind a couch, before she went to sleep. She fell ill shortly after giving birth and was taken to hospital where she repeatedly denied the pregnancy, according to doctors. Burton was later flown to King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth where she eventually confessed to a hospital social worker she had been pregnant. West Australian Police then searched her home and found the baby's body wrapped in a garbage bag and placed in a chest freezer. Before police made the grim find, Burton's partner, Shaun Bradley Balaam, had already discovered the bag by chance when looking for a lost mobile phone. He claims he never opened it, but later told police he suspected it might have been a baby and put the bag in the freezer. He also told police he 'freaked out'. Due to the baby's frozen condition it was not possible to determine whether he was born alive, but from the available evidence Renton ruled it seems likely the infant was stillborn. Burton previously pleaded guilty to interfering with a corpse, and the judge accepted Burton was genuinely remorseful. A psychologist report found the mother lives with unresolved grief, an adjustment disorder and a history of depressive episodes. Burton was also sentenced for fraud offences after collecting $3000 from a GoFundMe page set up after she falsely claimed to have a terminal liver condition. She was handed a 19-month prison term, which was suspended for 12 months. Burton will be monitored in the community, and has been ordered to attend regular counselling and parenting courses. She did not provide comment to media outside court on Friday. Balaam was previously handed a community-based order for improper interference with a corpse.
