Tamara Thomas and Damion Thomas / Image: X
A teaching couple have been jailed after their 12-year-old son died from undiagnosed diabetes, despite showing severe symptoms hours before his death.Tamara Thomas, 46, and Damion Thomas, 48, failed to seek urgent medical help for their son Joshua after he fell seriously ill at their home in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on December 9, 2022.
The Daily Mail reported that Joshua later died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital from untreated type 1 diabetes, which led to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition.Passing sentence, Judge Katz described the boy’s death as “entirely preventable” and said he could have survived if emergency medical help had been sought sooner.The court heard that Joshua had been ill for several days and had developed symptoms including extreme thirst and frequent urination in the week before his death.
At approximately 4 a.m. on December 9, he became so weak that he could not walk to the bathroom without assistance.Damion helped him and thought he might need hospital treatment later that day. Tamara also noticed how much weight her son had lost. However, neither parent called an ambulance or requested urgent medical assistance.The judge said the couple were negligent in not getting medical help when Joshua’s condition became an emergency.
She told the court that if treatment had been provided at that stage, his death could have been avoided.After leaving for work at approximately 7:30 a.m., Damion returned home later that day. Joshua remained seriously ill and had to be helped downstairs by one of his brothers. Tamara eventually called 999 at 12.43pm, but Joshua never regained consciousness and died in hospital in the early hours of the next day.Judge Katz said the couple were loving, devoted parents who cared deeply for their children, but she criticized what she described as a belief they knew better and their reluctance to seek professional help.“You did not ask for help when it was clearly needed,” she said. “This situation had tragic consequences.”The judge also noted that Damion had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2018 and was therefore familiar with the condition and its symptoms.Tamara was found guilty of gross negligence and manslaughter and sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. Damion was convicted of child cruelty and sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
