Custody battle back in court

They talk openly about their disgust for minorities, admit to battling issues with drugs and alcohol and have no regrets about turning a young child into a walking billboard for hatred.

Yet, the alleged white supremacist couple at the centre of a controversial child custody battle insist they are the ones who've been wronged by a corrupt system, according to a Winnipeg psychologist.

"There's no acceptance of responsibility as a parent," the doctor told court on Tuesday. He was tasked with doing a "parental capacity assessment" and spent hours interviewing the parents in recent months. He said they appear to have little remorse for their actions, which caused Child and Family Services to seize their two children in March 2008.

"There's a strong view of feeling like they're victims here," he said.

CFS became alarmed after a seven-year-old girl showed up at her Winnipeg elementary school with racist markings all over her body, including a swastika and references to Adolf Hitler. The psychologist believes that incident represented the "tip of the iceberg" of what was happening in her home.

The psychologist said he was very concerned to learn about comments posted online by the girl's mother and stepfather, in which they graphically discuss their hatred of blacks, Jews, natives and other minorities. There is also reference to enjoying watching their children "goose-step" through a shopping mall. The Internet chat room discussions occurred before the girl and her younger brother were seized by CFS.

"It may have indicated a set style of beliefs that things may have been going on (in the home) for some time," said the psychologist.

CFS is now seeking a permanent order of guardianship for the girl and her younger brother in a case that has made headlines around the world. The agency claims the parents' neo-Nazi beliefs amount to emotional abuse and put the kids at risk.

The trial resumed Tuesday following a two-week break. For the first time, the children's mother was present. She had been in Quebec when the trial began and claimed financial problems kept her from returning to Winnipeg. The woman does not have a lawyer but is allowed to sit at counsel table with her estranged husband and his lawyer and ask questions in cross-examination.

The psychologist said the stepfather "doesn't believe emotional abuse exists" and seemed shocked that words could cause so many problems. He doesn't regret the markings put on his stepdaughter but said he should have fought the police "like an animal" to prevent the children from being taken. He also said the little girl liked the attention, even though it was overwhelmingly negative.

"It was quite shocking one would say she liked that kind of attention," said the psychologist. The stepfather claims his wife put the markings on the girl, saying "What can they do about it? We're the parents."

The stepfather also told the psychologist about his long history with drugs and alcohol, beginning when he was only 12 years old, and how he frequently associated with "skinheads, Nazis and bikers" during his youth. Earlier in the day, the girl's former teacher took the witness stand to describe a disturbing meeting she had with the mother in November 2007. The teacher said the woman showed up 45 minutes late for a parent-teacher conference, her breath smelling of alcohol.

"She said 'Sorry I'm late, I stopped for a beer,'" said the teacher. Her daughter was with her at the time. The teacher said their 20-minute meeting went poorly, with the mother taking no interest in her child's performance in school.

"Mom was more keen on talking about herself, how she did in high school... her academic talents," she said. In cross-examination, the teacher admitted the girl was a bright, intelligent student who got along well with her classmates -- at least half of whom were of a visible minority. She said there were no concerns about any racism leading up to the day of the incident at school.

The psychologist will continue his testimony today. CFS has one final witness to call, a social worker who is currently handling the file while the children are in foster placement with their biological aunt. Both the mother and stepfather are then expected to testify in their own defence.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 24, 2009 A3