Her husband, who was found guilty of manslaughter for ignoring the child's deteriorating health, has been sentenced to spend at least 12 years behind bars.

Supreme Court Justice Robert Hulme said the crime was in the "worst case category".

Justice Hulme said the mother's conduct towards her daughter was "cruel, callous and heartless" as she watched the girl deteriorate from a chubby six-year-old who weighed 20 kilograms to an emaciated nine kilograms at her death.

He said Ebony, if she had continued to grow, from her previous weight, would have weighed 26 kilograms at the time of her death.

The girl was autistic and had been taken only infrequently to doctors and her wellbeing was neglected by her parents, the judge said.

Justice Hulme said the little girl had been locked in her room frequently and had been left out of family celebrations and did not appear in family photographs from birthdays or Christmases from about July 2006.

He said at the time her appearance was becoming more and more pitiful.