Criminal neglect charges carrying a potential life sentence have been dropped over the death of a woman with cerebral palsy found in squalid conditions.
Instead, a former director of an NDIS provider responsible for the 54-year-old's care has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Adelaide woman Ann-Marie Smith died in hospital in April 2020 from septic shock, multiple organ failure, severe pressure sores and malnourishment.
She was found living in squalid conditions in her own home while largely confined to a cane chair, in a case that the Disability Royal Commission said had shocked the community and sparked a series of inquiries.
Amy-June Collins and Alison Maree Virgo, the former directors of NDIS provider Integrity Care, had pleaded not guilty to criminal neglect causing death - which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison - and reckless conduct.
In the South Australian District Court on Wednesday, both charges against Ms Virgo, 45, were dropped, as was the criminal neglect charge against Collins.
Collins, 46, pleaded guilty to reckless conduct under the Work Health and Safety Act, admitting that she had engaged in conduct that exposed Ms Smith to a risk of serious injury.
She admitted she should have ensured Integrity Care had a policy that health and capability assessments were performed every 12 months for Ann-Marie Smith, given her circumstances and condition, the court was told.
Collins should have ensured the assessments were performed and that Ms Smith’s carer, Rosa Maria Maione, was given information about how cerebral palsy impacted on daily living and care needs, the court was told.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, but prosecutors did not ask for Collins’s bail to be revoked ahead of sentencing submissions on August 24.
Maione was jailed in March 2022 for at least five years and three months after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
At sentencing, Justice Anne Bampton said Maione was grossly negligent and her care for Ms Smith fell well short of the standard expected.
"Your incompetence, lack of training, lack of assertiveness and lack of supervision produced an environment where you failed to provide appropriate care," she said.
"Every person living with a disability, every person who requires support, every parent, carer and support worker of persons living with a disability, I have no doubt shudders with fear when they hear of the utter lack of care and human dignity afforded to Ms Smith in those last months of her life."
In July, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission withdrew civil proceedings against Integrity Care, which was deregistered as a company in April 2025.
Integrity Care previously faced charges of criminal neglect and failure to comply with a health and safety duty, but those charges were also dropped.
At the time of the former directors’ arrest, SA deputy police commissioner Linda Williams said it was important that those who accepted a duty of care for the most vulnerable delivered to the highest standards.
