Lethbridge father who nearly killed infant daughter guilty of aggravated assault
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details of child abuse.
A Lethbridge father has admitted to abusing his infant daughter to the point that her prognosis is "uncertain."
Charges of sexual assault, however, were withdrawn after doctors found "no evidence" of those crimes, according to an agreed statement of facts presented to a judge as part of a guilty plea Friday.
The 53-year-old father pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life. Two charges related to sexual assault were withdrawn.
"There was no evidence of injuries consistent with a sexual assault having occurred," reads the agreed statement of facts read aloud by prosecutor Suzanne Kendall.
He cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the baby, who was born Dec. 5, 2022. She was six weeks old when officers discovered her in medical distress on Jan. 18, 2023.
Defence lawyer Darcy Shurtz and prosecutors Kendall and Drew Gillespie asked Lethbridge Justice Kristin Ailsby to accept a joint submission for a seven-year prison term. The judge will hand down the sentence in August.
Over the course of the baby's first six weeks of life, she was violently abused by her father, who after his arrest told police he got "frustrated" with the child.
When given the chance to speak, the father — who had a difficult upbringing, spending his youth in 19 foster homes — told the court he has "thought about this a lot."
"I hope my daughter develops as normal as possible and leads a happy life, a safe life, a healthy life," he told the judge.
The baby survived the abuse, but doctors say her prognosis is "uncertain" and "will only be known as she grows."
A victim impact statement written by the baby's foster mother was read aloud in court.
The woman described having to take the infant to daily medical and physiotherapy appointments.
Last week, the baby's mother pleaded guilty to failing to provide the necessaries of life. She will be sentenced later this summer.
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