Stepfather charged with murder of Tiffani Scholten, 12, applies for bail as court told severely ill child had not seen doctors since 2019

A girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager weighed the same as a small toddler at the time of her death but had not seen a doctor since 2019, a court has been told. Gold Coast girl Tiffani Scholten, 12, was found allegedly unresponsive in her Coomera home in April 2022, where she was later declared dead. Aaron Paul Richardson, 39, and his former partner Carrissa Kaye Scholten, Tiffani’s mother, were arrested and charged with the girl’s murder two years later. Speaking on the police investigation at the time of their arrest, Queensland Police Inspector Paul Fletcher said evidence showed “the care for this child was insufficient and directly related to her death”, with Tiffani found in an “extremely emaciated” state. Neither Ms Scholten nor Mr Richardson have entered pleas to their charges. It is alleged Tiffani lived with complex medical conditions, including a diagnosis of Rett-type syndrome – a rare neurological disorder affecting her development and weight gain. But police claimed her death was caused by separate means. During Mr Richardson’s bail hearing before Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday, the court was told Tiffani weighed an alleged 7.3kg at the time of her death. “She was always in about the second percentile for her age,” Crown prosecutor Julie Aylward said. “That being said, if that (pattern) continued, at the age she was when she died, she would have been doubled the weight that she actually was,” Crown prosecutor Julie Aylward said. “In fact, when she died she was in the second percentile for a two year old child. “This is a child that was in their wardrobe … it was very clear this was a child that needed assistance, and neither medical treatment was sought nor was she provided with food.” It was alleged Tiffani had not seen a doctor since 2019, despite her conditions, and was removed from school at the end of 2021. Ms Aylward said Tiffani was completely reliant on her mother and stepfather to survive. “While Tiffani did have complex issues, her death, it seems clear (from medical evidence), was from severe malnutrition,” Ms Aylward said. “This was not just a case of her not being fed over a couple of days. “It was a prolonged and callous course of conduct.” While she conceded Tiffani’s mother was her primary carer, Ms Aylward said Mr Richardson played a role in her care. “He himself identified as a caregiver to law enforcement,” Ms Aylward said. “He certainly accepted on that reporting that he provided her care as well as her mother.” The court was told Richardson had spent nine months in custody following Tiffani’s death for unrelated offending, including drug trafficking and other offences. Ms Aylward said Richardson was a risk of committing further domestic violence offences and interfering with witnesses, noting “controlling overtones” in conversations between himself and his co-accused following their arrest. “Until they were arrested and actually charged with Tiffani’s (alleged) murder, there was probably no risk of interfering with a witness and less risk of needing to construct a story because they didn’t know they were going to be charged,” Ms Aylward said. Defence barrister David Funch argued complicated case facts would lead to “extensive delays”, submitting his client to unjust time in custody. “It is a live, very real issue.” Mr Funch said. “There is fairly complex medical evidence that is anticipated to be led by the Crown at trial and also by the defence. “There is a very real risk of an excess of three years pre-trial custody.” Mr Funch further argued Mr Richardson’s duty to care for Tiffani, and his alleged failure to do so, was contestable at trial. “It is alleged that my client owed a duty to this child who suffered from what appears to be an ill-defined and fairly novel medical condition,” Mr Funch said. “Relevant to that is the role my client played in the family unit. “It seems, on the Crown’s evidence, that (the mother) was the primary caregiver. “It is certainly appears to be a stronger case against the primary caregiver, the co-accused mother, … but then again there is the issue of the neurological degenerative disorder that is in play in this case.” Mr Funch assured any risk of interfering with witnesses or committing further offences could be minimised with appropriate bail conditions. He said the two co-accused were no longer in a relationship, with the mother remaining in custody awaiting trial. Supreme Court Justice Sean Cooper refused bail. “I am ultimately not persuaded that the risk of the applicant interfering with witnesses in particular, and obstructing the course of justice can be reduced to an acceptable level,” Justice Cooper said.