Meth-addicted mum joked as six-year-old daughter died from neglect, court hears

Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.

An Adelaide court has heard harrowing new details in what's now emerged as one of the worst child neglect cases in South Australian history.

The court heard today that meth-addicted Northern Suburbs mother Crystal Hanley, 49, took drugs and laughed off the deteriorating condition of her six-year-old daughter, Charlie Nowland, until she took her final breath in her filthy home.

Charlie died from severe malnutrition in 2022. When she arrived at hospital, the court was told, she was in a "physically deplorable state", weighing just 18 kilograms, wearing a nappy, and infested with lice.

Sergeant Haydn Evans, who attended the scene, described the lasting impact of the case.

"I can still smell the house," he said.