Mother whose twin toddlers died of malnourishment from underfeeding sentenced to eight years for manslaughter, eligible for parole today The mother of a woman charged with the death of fraternal twins speaks to the media after leaving court. THE mother of twin toddlers who died of malnutrition will be eligible for parole from today after a Supreme Court Judge sentenced her to eight years jail for each child's death. The woman, 35, sighed with relief as Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Peter Lyons took into account five years she had already served in custody since her arrest in 2008. The Courier-Mail understands it will be a number of months before the woman would be released from jail at the discretion of the parole board. The woman from Brisbane's south-side, 35, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her almost 18-month-old toddlers. Outside court, the woman's family said they were elated with the news and looked forward to her return home. ``I'm happy with the outcome and I'm happy for my daughter. She's had her time in prison and now she'll be able to live her life without ridicule from others and my grandchildren will finally see their mother," the woman's grandmother said. ``It's taken a toll on her mental and physical state and she has owned up to her past in all this and in the long run, she's still my daughter, I still love her. ``I do miss my grandchildren ... We all feel guilty that anybody and everybody who went to the house we all should have done more, but we didn't... In sentencing, Justice Lyons said he was prepared to find the mother had no intention to cause the twins' death due to her mental illness. Nonetheless, he said her offending was serious and aggravated by the fact it resulted in the death of two ``vulnerable and helpless" infants. ``I accept it was a gross departure from the minimum standards the community expects from a person," he said. ``What you failed to do reduced those infants to a pitiable condition. The infants were almost 18-months-old when their decomposing bodies were discovered by their 11-year-old sister on June 16, 2008. The court heard the twins had already been dead for a week when they were found. She was on trial for the children's murder alongside her de facto partner, 33, but the jury was discharged from returning a verdict when Crown prosecutor Michael Byrne QC indicated he would accept their pleas of guilty to manslaughter earlier this month. Mr Byrne said the mother's trial was abandoned when he became unable to negate the woman's defence of diminished responsibility. He summarised that although a killing had taken place with ``requisite intent" it was partially excused because of the woman's ``substantial impairment of capacities," which was evidenced by a mental illness. Mr Byrne said the mother had an ``awareness" her twins were unwell and yet did nothing to remedy it. He said although her intent was ``muddled" the court heard psychiatric evidence during the trial that suggested a person suffering a major depressive episode was still capable of forming intent. He called the woman's denial at the time of the twins' death ``targeted. ``It is also not apparent on the evidence, in my respectful submission, that the mental illness caused the initial decline in the children," he said. He submitted the mother serve a prison term of between nine and 12 years and asked the crime be declared a Serious Violent Offence for any sentence under 10 years. ``The duty of a parent to protect their children is fundamental," Mr Byrne said. ``There has been a gross and catastrophic departure from even the requisite parental standards the community would expect. Barrister Soraya Ryan, for the mother, submitted a jail term of between six and nine years was appropriate in the circumstances, and recommended a term of eight years with immediate parole. She said the twins died because of her neglect but ``she had no intention to kill. Ms Ryan used as an example the mother's purchase of infant formula just a day before the twins were thought to have died on June 9, 2008. ``There was an awareness something had to be done but awareness is a separate state of mind to intention and in the end, (she) was unable to respond to her awareness because of her illness," Ms Ryan said. Ms Ryan said the twins' mother had co-operated with police by answering questions ``with honesty, remarkable frankness and openness. She the twins' father's behaviour during the twins' demise was ``incomprehensible. ``All he had to do was open the door," Ms Ryan said. ``It's simply incredible and implausible that she attempted to kill her twins when their other parent lived in the same house. She said her client had maintained a good relationship with her children, although they lived either in the care of the Department of Child Safety or with foster families. Ms Ryan said the mother lived in a protected unit of the Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre ``for her own safety," and worked seven-days a week in the laundry. She said the mother had also become a peer mentor while in jail. ``Her remorse and sadness are immense," Ms Ryan said. ``She must live with the knowledge that she caused the death of her own babies. Ms Ryan said the woman asked her to express how sorry she was for the sadness she had caused to family, those who had to give evidence during her trial and others who were affected by it. The twins' father will be sentenced for manslaughter in September. EARLIER, a packed public gallery turned out to the Supreme Court of Brisbane to witness the sentencing of a mother whose twin toddlers died of malnourishment caused by underfeeding. The woman, 35, from Brisbane's southside pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her almost 18-month-old toddlers. Mr Byrne said on Thursday the mother's trial was abandoned when he became unable to negate the woman's defence of diminished responsibility. He summarised that although a killing had taken place with "requisite intent" it was partially excused because of the woman's "substantial impairment of capacities," which was evidenced by a mental illness. Mr Byrne said the mother had an "awareness" her twins were unwell and yet did nothing to remedy it. He said although her intent was "muddled" the court heard psychiatric evidence during the trial that suggested a person suffering a major depressive episode was still capable of forming intent. He called the woman's denial at the time of the twins' death "targeted." "It is also not apparent on the evidence, in my respectful submission, that the mental illness caused the initial decline in the children," he said. "The duty of a parent to protect their children is fundamental," Mr Byrne said. There has been a gross and catastrophic departure from even the requisite parental standards the community would expect. The sentencing, before Justice Peter Lyons, is expected to take most of the day.