Collie baby death: Neglect-accused parents Maraea Te Oke Mae Hunia and Jahley Poata face upgraded charge

The Collie parents accused of neglecting their unwell infant son before he died are expected to face upgraded charges in a higher court. Mother-of-eight Maraea Te Oke Mae Hunia and her partner Jahley Poata, both 33, are accused of failing to provide proper medical care for their six-month-old son. It’s alleged they had been told the baby boy, also named Jahley, had a serious health condition in June 2022, four months before he died in Perth Children’s Hospital. The pair were charged with failing to protect a child in their care from harm — a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison — and spent time behind bars in October 2022 before securing bail. They are yet to enter pleas - and Perth Magistrates Court was told during their brief appearances on Wednesday that the charge would be substituted with an upgraded offence. The matter has been sent to Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court, with the next hearing scheduled for February 19. The couple declined to speak with media outside court, with Ms Hunia manoeuvring to avoid being photographed. Just three days before the boy’s birth, she was posting on social media that she had become a “business owner” — a “market partner” for the beauty range Monat. “I’m so excited to be working with some amazing empowering woman & men entrepreneurs. Because being 8 months pregnant with 7 Children never stopped anyone,” she said. A social media post announcing her son’s birth in early March included the hashtags: #Protect #Love#Care And in the months between the child falling ill and her arrest, the aspiring influencer was posting clips of herself dancing to Beyonce, reciting Nicki Minaj lyrics and describing her life as #blessed. Ms Hunia — or maraea.huniaxo as she called herself on TikTok — was also a #Momof8, a #PregnantModel, a #TwerkQueen and #MultitaskingLife “at its finest”.