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Dubious Story
March 14, 2007 permalink
We usually ignore planted stories glorifying children aid workers, but this one does not add up. A mother was arrested for trying to kill her child. Mothers have been known to harm their own children, but how many do it with hostile witnesses in the room? Could it be that the CAS workers exaggerated the actions for effect? After all, the article says the child was not seriously hurt. We will never know, because there are no names in the story, making it impossible to verify the facts. Another day, another deceit.
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The apartment building in Hamilton, Ont. where the stabbing occurred.Hamilton mother tried to stab toddler: police
A Hamilton, Ont. mother is facing attempted murder charges after she tried to stab her eight-month-old baby girl, police say.
Emergency officials were called to an apartment building on Sandford Avenue North late Tuesday morning after receiving a 911 call from Children's Aid Workers who witnessed the alleged attempting stabbing.
"They found a child in distress; the child appeared to be suffering from stab wounds," Sgt. Michael Webber told reporters.
The toddler was rushed to hospital in serious condition, but police later said she suffered only superficial wounds.
Police guard the crime scene on Tuesday.
'They found a child in distress; the child appeared to be suffering from stab wounds,' Sgt. Michael Webber told reporters.Police said the infant is doing well, but will be kept overnight as a precautionary measure.
Another child in the household was taken into the care of the Children's Aid Society.
A 28-year-old mother was arrested and charged at the scene. Her name is not being released because the case involves the CAS.
News of the attack shocked neighbours.
"I heard about the baby and it's ignorant," said one man. "I don't know what else to say. It's just disgusting."
Residents were relieved to hear the toddler was not seriously hurt in the incident.
The Hamilton police child abuse unit is continuing to investigate.
Webber said the involvement of the aid workers is also being reviewed.
Source: CTV
Addendum: Below is another story from the National Post. It mentions that the mother is a deaf mute, and that she was questioned by the police. There is no mention of the technology used in the questioning.
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Mom arrested in alleged baby stabbing
HAMILTON - A 28-year-old Hamilton woman was charged Tuesday with the attempted murder of her infant daughter during a visit supervised by a worker from the Children's Aid Society of Hamilton.
Police were called after reports the eight-month-old girl had been stabbed by her mother, who is a deaf mute.
The infant's injuries aren't life-threatening and she's expected to be released from hospital today.
Hamilton police Staff Sgt. Dave Beech said the injury is a "cut" from a "sharp object."
Although the child's injuries aren't severe, police laid the attempted murder charge after questioning the woman.
"You have to be able to show there was intent (to kill) to lay an attempted murder charge," Beach said. "We believe there was in this case."
Police won't say why the girl and her three-year-old brother, who was also at the supervised visit, were taken by Children's Aid before Tuesday's visit.
Police declined to identify the infant or her mother, who is expected to appear in court today.
Source: National Post
Addendum: A follow-up nearly eight months later that is probably the same incident. This time they make it look like the misbehavior is the result of the mother's experiences herself in the care of CAS as a child. The press, and apparently the prosecutor, have backed off the contention that there was an attempted killing. Still no names, so we have to believe their story.
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Deaf woman sentenced to time served and a day
Assault on infant daughter blamed on dysfunctional upbringing
A deaf woman was so overwhelmed and anxious about getting her children back from the Hamilton Children's Aid Society that she did the unthinkable.
While a child-protection worker and sign language interpreter sat in the next room, the 28-year-old mother carried her eight-month-old daughter into the kitchen, picked up a knife and made a small incision in the baby's chest.
The cut drew an alarming amount of blood and brought the screaming child's visit with her mother to a sudden, screeching halt.
The woman was charged with attempted murder but ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of aggravated assault.
Ontario Court Justice Marjoh Agro sentenced her yesterday to time served plus one day in jail and placed the woman on probation for the maximum three-year period.
Agro gave the woman enhanced credit for eight months of pretrial custody because her hearing loss had prevented her from taking part in rehabilitation programs.
Liza Ban, a mental health counsellor with the Canadian Hearing Society, put together a release plan for the convicted woman and found her a place to live in a second-level lodging home.
Defence lawyer Andrew Confente shed some light on what had driven his client to commit such a strange, violent act against her helpless child.
He said the woman never knew her biological father and was physically and emotionally abused as a child by a mother, who suffered with schizophrenia compounded by alcoholism.
His client had a brother but was the only deaf person in her family.
"She felt very lonely growing up because there was no effort on the part of any other family member to learn sign language," said Confente.
"She was a victim of abuse by her mother and brother and by the men brought home by her mother."
Confente said his client was, herself, apprehended by the CAS at the age of 12 and lived in a series of foster homes from 1979 to 1998. During this time, she was exposed to drugs and started smoking marijuana.
While a ward of the society, she achieved a Grade 11 education at E.C. Drury School for the Deaf in Milton.
At 19, she was living on the street and using crack cocaine. During this time in her life she resorted to prostitution to support her drug habit.
Confente said his client was married briefly and had two children from that relationship.
But dysfunctional upbringing had left an indelible mark on her psyche. In 2004, she was diagnosed with a mood disorder with features of depression and schizophrenia.
At the time of the knife incident, her four-year-old son had been in CAS care for more than a year and his younger sister from her birth.
The mother struggled to pull her life together and improve herself. She found an apartment, took parenting courses and was slowly working with CAS social workers toward a goal of gaining custody of children.
Still, at the time she harmed her child, the mother had not been taking her mood disorder medication for about six months.
Confente said his client loved her children, but worried about her ability to measure up to the standards of parenting expected by the society.
"Her response was that she felt overwhelmed by the CAS's expectations and the standard of care that would be required of her."
"She made it clear she had no intention of killing the child. And it was in fact a superficial injury."
Assistant Crown attorney Kevin McKenna urged the judge to impose a further eight months in jail in addition to time already served.
He argued there would be days ahead when the woman would feel anxious and overwhelmed and it had to be brought home to her that violence was not an acceptable recourse.
Source: Hamilton Spectator
