Barbaric Mother

[undercoverbrother]

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/01/08...baric-by-judge

The severe physical and mental abuse wrought by a mother on her daughter over a span of 17 months was “barbaric,” a Calgary judge said Wednesday.
And the woman’s lawyer could only agree, voicing many of the same sentiments.
Though he hasn’t yet passed sentence on the woman, Provincial Court Judge Mike Dinkel expressed profound disgust with her actions that included severing her daughter’s foot tendons with a kitchen knife and forcing her to eat feces in the family’s Calgary apartment.
“The conduct is really disturbing,” Dinkel told court.
“If I was to go onto the street and explain what happened to this child, a person would say ‘that’s astonishing, how could you do something like that to a kid, to your own kid?’ It is mind-boggling.”
The woman, whose identity and that of her victim is under a publication ban, has pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, uttering threats and administering a noxious substance.
Defence lawyer Richard Glenn noted his client has no prior criminal record and pleaded guilty to the offences.
But he said there wasn’t much he could add in defence of the woman, who beat and abused her daughter from 2011 to 2013 when the girl was 10-11 years old.
“This was a very misguided attempt to discipline, this whole thing became a ritual,” said Glenn.
“It’s very close to being barbaric.”
Court heard the woman beat the girl with a variety of household implements, scalded her with hot water three times and even made her eat hair pulled from a bathroom drain.
Throughout much of Wednesday’s proceedings, the woman wept in the prisoner’s box while her daughter gazed sadly at her.
Judge Dinkel noted a psychiatric assessment of the mother yielded few clues to her conduct.
“I looked to the psychiatric report for answers and they aren’t there,” he said.
The girl’s plea for leniency for her mother in a victim impact statement shouldn’t be heeded, said Crown Prosecutor Rose Greenwood, who argued the interests of wider society are paramount.
She’s seeking the maximum, 10-year penalty while Glenn argued for a sentence of six to eight years.
The woman delivered a weeping apology, repeating “I’m sorry” three times.
Dinkel is expected to hand down a sentence next month.

This type of thing upsets me.

[Baaarrden]

The fact that the maximum sentence for this is 10 years upsets me.

[killer_carlson]

I do not understand why crimes against children are not subject to more severe discipline.

I fully support consecutive, and not concurrent sentences on crimes against children.

[Francis's Hairpiece]

Sounds like it was getting close to a Sylvia Likens type case. That poor kid. This stuff makes me sick.

[Dion]

This was a very misguided attempt to discipline???

How a defence lawyer can try and defend her actions is beyond me. This mother should be locked away for a very very long time. The poor child is going to have to deal with what she has done for the rest of life. The nighmares, flashbacks etc will require long tern therapy.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Dion

This was a very misguided attempt to discipline???

How a defence lawyer can try and defend her actions is beyond me. This mother should be locked away for a very very long time. The poor child is going to have to deal with what she has done for the rest of life. The nighmares, flashbacks etc will require long tern therapy.

I was talking to a co-worker and she said the child still says it is her fault.

I can't find that article.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I was talking to a co-worker and she said the child still says it is her fault.

I can't find that article.

I think I might have posted a link to the story a while back. I seem to recall the child saying that, and that she forgives her mother and would live with her again?

I'll look at my threads.

[Minnie]

Found it.

Original story link

[Dion]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I was talking to a co-worker and she said the child still says it is her fault.

I can't find that article.

A child looks to their parents for guidence as to what is right and wrong. In that sense i'm not surprised to hear that child say it was her fault.

Reminds of a book I read some years ago called "A child called It" by Dave Pelzer.

A Child Called "It" is the unforgettable story of a child whose courage and unyielding determination enabled him to survive extreme life-threatening odds.

As a child, Dave was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous games--games that left him Dave nearly dead. With only his willpower to survive, Dave learned how to play his Mother's sinister games in order to survive because she no longer considered Dave a son but a slave, and no longer a boy but an "It."

Although A Child Called "It" contains situations of mistreatment Dave suffered, it is a real life story of the indomitable human spirit. This gripping account is told through the eyes of a child--who will pay any price in order to succeed.

http://www.davepelzer.com/books/childcalledit.html

[puckluck2]

Maybe I'm in the minority but I have no problem with 10 years as the sentence. While what she did was terrible amd barbaric the point of jail is rehabilitation and I think that's enough time.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I do not understand why crimes against children are not subject to more severe discipline.

I fully support consecutive, and not concurrent sentences on crimes against children.

If this same crime had been committed against an adult, why do you think it should be subject to a lesser penalty?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

If this same crime had been committed against an adult, why do you think it should be subject to a lesser penalty?

Tough to say.

The relationship between a child and parent is, IMO, like no other relationship. The trust involved is complete. I am not sure if that betrayed of trust could tKe place between two adults.

Also I am not sure the an adult and minor are on the same legal footing. A child's ability to make decisions, or disobey an authority figure are much reduced, when compared to an adult

[irrevocable]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Maybe I'm in the minority but I have no problem with 10 years as the sentence. While what she did was terrible amd barbaric the point of jail is rehabilitation and I think that's enough time.

Unfortunately, statistical data doesn't show that much of any rehabilitation is going on. Anywhere. The woman is a ####ing monster. I truly wouldn't lose any sleep knowing she was to never see the outside world again.

[bc-chris]

wow - how could you do that to your child (or anyone really) is beyond me

truly disgusting

[Dion]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Maybe I'm in the minority but I have no problem with 10 years as the sentence. While what she did was terrible amd barbaric the point of jail is rehabilitation and I think that's enough time.

What about the abused child that may never be the same going forward? I think you need to consider that when evaluating if the sentence is long enough.

[-TC-]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Maybe I'm in the minority but I have no problem with 10 years as the sentence. While what she did was terrible amd barbaric the point of jail is rehabilitation and I think that's enough time.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I think a bullet is probably the right answer for people like this...

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Maybe I'm in the minority but I have no problem with 10 years as the sentence. While what she did was terrible amd barbaric the point of jail is rehabilitation and I think that's enough time.

Maybe but the woman sounds like a psychopath, and you really don't cure those.

I feel more sorry for the girl who sounds like she's been completely programmed and broken and is going to face a life long battle because of this.

She's the one that's going to serve the life sentence.

[GreenLantern]

Ya we go over this every time something messed up happens. People like this don't get better, if anything they will just get worse.

[Bill Bumface]

What's the cost/benefit of keeping her in jail longer?

10 years, she won't have kids again, afterwards she'll come out and maybe pay some taxes, and likely not have an opportunity to do anything demented again, and probably will have more scrutiny over her actions helping prevent any nasty reprocutions of her being free.

Keep her in jail, we waste millions on her.

I think people get a little emotional over the whole "Lock them up, and rape them with the key" that goes on in all of these threads.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Maybe but the woman sounds like a psychopath, and you really don't cure those.

I feel more sorry for the girl who sounds like she's been completely programmed and broken and is going to face a life long battle because of this.

She's the one that's going to serve the life sentence.

I feel more sorry for the girl as well. And have no sympathy for the mother at all but I still think 10 years is pretty good in this country considering we have numerous murderers getting away with 10 years or less.

I also think she'll have her whole life monitored and probably be on probation after getting out as well. I don't think her likelihood of re-offending is high.