Couple who severely abused twins appeal prison sentences

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This article was published 23/02/2023 (969 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba couple convicted of almost killing their twin babies due to months of abuse and neglect are appealing their double-digit prison sentences.

The 40-year-old woman and 58-year-old man were sentenced last December to 18 years and 12 years in prison, respectively, in a case a judge described as “heartbreaking.”

They and the community they lived in cannot be named to protect the identity of their son and daughter, who are four years old.

The mother and father were each found guilty of two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and two counts of failing to provide the necessaries of life. The mother was convicted of two additional counts of aggravated assault.

In separate notices of appeal filed last month, they argue the sentences imposed by Justice Sandra Zinchuk are harsh and excessive and place too much emphasis on denunciation and deterrence.

No hearing dates have been set for the appeals.

Social workers apprehended the 11-month-old twins in July 2019 and took them to a hospital. They had more than 40 bone fractures between them. Their development was significantly delayed and the girl, the more gravely injured of the two, required emergency surgery to relieve swelling to her brain.

Their trial was told the two offenders had a volatile relationship blighted by drug and alcohol abuse.

Court heard testimony the mother would often hit the twins in the face or arm and would routinely pick them up roughly by one arm or leg. Court was told the woman would leave the children outside for hours at a time while she slept or watched television. On other occasions, she stuffed socks into the twins’ mouths to keep them from crying.

Witnesses testified the woman said she “hated the twins” and “wished she never had them.”

When extended family members expressed concern about the children’s malnourished appearance, the mother explained it as a result of them being born prematurely; she claimed they had been seen by a nurse practitioner who gave them a clean bill of health. Concerns about the children’s swollen arms or legs were dismissed with a claim they had been bitten by a bee.

Court was told the father did not physically abuse the children, but did nothing to prevent it and did not seek medical attention for them.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca