A Calgary mother who was found guilty in 2017 in the death of her seven-year-old son appeared in court on Wednesday and was granted full parole.
Tamara Lovett, 50, was convicted of criminal negligence causing death in January 2017. Her son Ryan died from sepsis after he contracted a strep infection and his organs failed.
Lovett treated the little boy with holistic remedies including dandelion tea and oil of oregano and during the trial court heard that Ryan’s body was full of Group A streptococcus when he died.
She was sentenced to three years in jail and was granted day parole last June after serving eight months.
At that time, the Parole Board of Canada noted that Lovett acknowledged blame and had held 'extreme and unsupportable’ views about conventional medicine.
Lovett had been living in a community residential facility with conditions and was also required to attend psychological counselling to address her grief and mental health.
On Wednesday, parole board members reviewed her status and determined that she is a minimal risk to the public.
During the hour-long hearing, Lovett was defensive and said she wished she could turn back the clock.
She said that she thought she was doing the right thing to help her son and that Ryan’s death was an unfortunate mistake that she lives with every day.
The board said that Lovett’s beliefs about western medicine have changed but that they are still not in line with the rest of society.
University of Calgary law professor Michael Nesbitt says the parole board considers the offender's history but the primary concern is public safety.
“It’s a consideration of whether there’s an undue risk to public safety in releasing the individual. If there is, then they're going to make the decision on that basis, but they're also going to consider other factors. Rehabilitation is a factor, how much it’ll help the individual, whether they've been on good behaviour. So any of the stuff could come into play but the paramount consideration is in fact public safety,” he said. “If you let someone out on parole, it’s not like they’re wandering around, they’ll have a series of conditions. The more serious the crime or the more worried they are about the individual, the more serious the conditions they will have.”
Lovett was granted full parole and will be living with a roommate but she must comply with a number of conditions. She must continue with counselling and is not allowed to care for anyone under the age of 18 or for anyone in a vulnerable position, regardless of their age.
(With files from Ina Sidhu)
