CCAS Ward Kept Like a Dog

September 30, 2005 permalink

Here is the more of the death of CCAS ward Jeffrey Baldwin.

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Man forgetful in Jeffrey death

Shannon Kari, CanWest News Service

Friday, September 30, 2005

The Jeffrey Baldwin murder trial was stalled again yesterday as a key witness appeared unco-operative and forgetful in his testimony.

James Mills, boyfriend of one of the boy's aunts, testified for about 10 minutes before the trial was shut down for the day so he could review several hours of videotaped statements he made to police after Jeffrey died on Nov. 30, 2002.

Norman Kidman and Elva Bottineau, the grandparents of Jeffrey, are on trial on charges of first-degree murder in the starvation death of the five-year-old boy, who weighed less than 10 kilograms when he died. A medical expert testified earlier that Jeffrey suffered from such severe malnutrition he would have been provided with emergency care in a developing country.

Jeffrey was "kept like a dog" and locked in his room, Mr. Mills said in a statement to police. The boyfriend of Tammy Kidman slept over at the grandparents' east-end Toronto home about three or four nights per week in the weeks before Jeffrey died. He told police there was a "horrendous stench" coming from the room that Jeffrey shared with one of his sisters, and the boy was so thirsty he drank toilet bowl water.

During his brief testimony yesterday, however, Mr. Mills said he had never been inside Jeffrey's bedroom. "I wasn't required to go there," he said.

Mr. Mills may be declared a hostile witness when he resumes testifying today.

Before he was called to testify yesterday, he could be seen in a hallway of the courthouse chatting with Jeffrey's father, Richard Baldwin, and with Michael Reitemeier, who fathered two children with the boy's other aunt. Mr. Reitemeier, who was living in the home, is expected to testify.

Richard Baldwin and Jeffrey's mother, Yvonne Kidman, slipped out a side exit of the courthouse yesterday to avoid being photographed. All four of their children were seized by the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto and were in the care of Norman Kidman and Elva Bottineau at the time of Jeffrey's death.

Source: canada.com website