A court heard that a mother charged with leaving her three-year-old daughter in a hot four-wheel drive before she died Googled whether she would go to jail for leaving a child in a car before the incident.
On a hot November day in 2020, Laura Peverill (Black), 39, and Aaron Hill, 32, allegedly left child Rylee Rose Black inside a Toyota Prado at an address in Burdell, Townsville’s north.
The three-year-old daughter was eventually discovered dead inside the vehicle, with authorities stating she died of heat exhaustion after spending hours in the scorching vehicle.
Police allege that Peverill had Googled ‘whether she would go to jail for leaving a child in a car’ a day before her daughter died, the court heard.
This shocking revelation was revealed by Peverill’s lawyer at the Townsville Supreme Court on Tuesday, where the matter was referred to for the first time, reported the Townsville Bulletin.
Peverill’s lawyer rejected the assertion from police and told the court that her client made the internet search ‘on a different day’.
We say it was the afternoon of the incident, not the day before,’ she reportedly said.
Peverill has since been charged with manslaughter over the toddler’s death.
Her lawyer claims she doesn’t know yet whether her client will plead guilty or fight the charge in court.
Peverill’s defence team is now seeking testimony from two witnesses, one of who would address the ‘memory lapse’ that she had allegedly left her daughter in the car and the other would address the Google search controversy.
Peverill’s matter will return to court in late July for a private meeting between the judge and legal representatives.
Aaron Hill’s case is due for mention on June 13.
Laura Peverill, under her maiden name Black at the time of the incident, and her then-boyfriend Aaron Hill had allegedly left Peverill’s three-year-old daughter Rylee Rose Black inside a car on a hot day in November.
The pair reportedly went inside a Burdell home to spend the day watching Netflix together.
Police later found the girl in the vehicle deceased.
Initial investigations indicated the little toddler was allegedly left inside the locked vehicle for most of the day.
Queensland was in the middle of a heatwave at the time, with Townsville reaching 32.8C.
Paverill’s other children were subsequently left in the care of their biological father following the tragedy.