A Prince George man has been sentenced to two years in jail and two years probation for shaking his newborn daughter enough to give her severe brain damage and put her in a wheelchair.
The man, identified only by his initials in B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker's written reasons for sentencing, was issued the term after he pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault from the Oct. 1, 2009 incident.
During a sentencing hearing. the court heard that the man had gained custody of the girl, her twin brother and older sister while their mother had access under supervision following the twins' birth one month before.
Loud arguing between the two and violent behaviour by the mother towards their then-four-year-old daughter had become significant enough to involve the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Shortly after the twins' birth, the couple got into a quarrel at the hospital in which he suggested he would have to take custody of the children away from her and she responded by threatening to kill the twins.
Although there appeared to be no real substance to the threat, it was enough to have the children taken away from mother and put in the father's care. Ministry officials also urged the couple to attend parenting classes but the father refused because he felt he had nothing to learn.
Two days before the incident, a doctor became concerned the twins were not gaining enough weight. The twins were put on a more concentrated formula were to be fed every four hours rather than on an eight-hour schedule.
On the day of the incident, the girl had been acting fussy while being fed although by about 7 p.m. she had fallen asleep in her father's arms. But when he tried to put the girls into her crib, she woke up and began crying again which woke up her twin brother and he also began crying.
At that point, he shook the girl although how many times was not known. He then left her in her crib and she eventually went to sleep.
Later that night, the mother came over for a visit and when the girl was woken up at 11 p.m. for feeding, she began a high-pitched scream and was inconsolable. The mother told the father that it sounded as if the girl was in pain and he took her to the hospital, dropping the mother off at her home along the way.
He did not tell hospital staff what had happened when they arrived at about midnight and the girl was treated as a colicky baby. However, by the morning the soft spot on top of the girl's head was bulging and she was flown to B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver.
Now three years old, the girl is effectively a quadriplegic with no coordination of her limbs, her brain remains undeveloped, she's mostly blind, suffers seizures, is unable to talk, is fed through a stomach tube because she can't swallow and is likely to live no more than 15 years.
The father eventually confessed to police he shook the girl as many as five times but Ker noted precious time was lost in treating the girl because he failed to tell medical staff what happened.
Since he was charged, the father has taken anger management counseling but completed only three of the 15 sessions of a subsequent program and tended to focus on the mother's shortcomings.
However, it was also noted that he has no criminal record and the incident was characterized as a "single, momentary lack of control" as opposed to an episode in a history of violence.
Ker said he appeared overwhelmed by his child care responsibilities although she stressed it was no excuse for his actions. She accepted that it was an isolated incident
The father, who pleaded guilty to the charge on the day a trial was to begin, appeared subdued throughout the hearing and occasionally fought back sobs. "I'd do anything to make it better," he said when asked if he had anything to say.
Ker strongly urged him to follow through on any counseling available while serving his sentence. He was prohibited from being alone in the presence of any minor under seven years old during that time.
