A Queensland childcare worker has been sentenced to four years in prison for the assault of three toddlers. Edwina Amy Ling, 48, pleaded guilty to 80 counts of common assault and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm in Cairns District Court.

Brutal Abuse Revealed in Court

The court heard that Ling’s offenses occurred between August 30 and September 5, 2024, at the Injinoo Child Care Centre in remote Far North Queensland. The victims were children aged between 13 months and two-and-a-half years old. During the sentencing, District Court Judge Dean Morzone KC characterized Ling’s actions as “monstrous, cruel and sadistic” and a “gross breach of trust.” Ling received a four-year sentence with a non-parole period of one year.

CCTV footage presented in court depicted disturbing incidents. One sequence showed Ling grabbing a 13-month-old boy by the neck and head, repeatedly smothering his face with bedding, pulling his head back, striking him, placing her foot on his face, and kicking him across the floor. Other footage revealed Ling shaking the child, throwing him onto a beanbag, lifting him by one arm, making mock punching gestures near his face, throwing a playpen at him, and forcefully pushing and throwing him down while he slept. Ling had initially faced a charge of torturing the child, which was later withdrawn.

Parents Speak of Betrayal and Lost Trust

Parents of one of the young victims, who was 13 months old at the time of the assaults, expressed deep feelings of betrayal and a shattered trust in the childcare system. In an impact statement read to the court, they stated, “We trusted that our son would be safe and cared for and he wasn’t. We felt there was a lack of support given and failings within the childcare centre itself.”

The statement continued, “She [Edwina Ling] chose to physically abuse our child, and others, not once but multiple times over several days. She was entrusted with the care of the most vulnerable people in our community. Our son could not defend himself or tell us what was happening to him. She broke that trust.” The parents shared that the traumatic events continue to affect them daily. “Not a day has passed since this happened that we do not think about what happened and relive that traumatic time.”

Regulatory Oversight and Centre Closure

The Injinoo Child Care Centre was exempt from the National Quality Framework, Australia’s national childcare regulation system, due to its direct federal government funding. Consequently, it was not assessed against national quality standards but was regulated under Queensland’s Education and Care Services Act.

Following the assaults, Queensland’s Early Childhood Regulatory Authority, part of the Department of Education, canceled the provider’s approval and closed the Injinoo Child Care Centre almost a year after the incidents. An internal investigation was conducted by the department, but the report has not been publicly released, despite requests from the family. The decision to cancel the provider’s approval is currently under review by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

Background of the Offender

The court was informed that Edwina Ling was initially employed as a cook and cleaner at the Injinoo Child Care Centre. Within months, she was promoted to an educator role in the baby room while studying a Certificate III in Child Care.