Lethbridge father sentenced to 7 years in assault case involving six-week-old baby girl

LETHBRIDGE -

**WARNING: The details in the following story may be disturbing to readers**

A Lethbridge father who pleaded guilty in a horrific case of abuse that left a six-week-old girl hospitalized with traumatic injuries has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

In a Lethbridge courtroom on Friday, Judge Kristin Ailsby handed down her sentence, saying the Crown and defence's joint submission was "fit and proper."

The 52-year-old father will serve his sentence at the Bowden Institution.

The father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life.

The Crown had withdrawn charges of sexual assault and sexual interference, stating there was no evidence of injuries consistent with a sexual assault.

The father appeared via CCTV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre on Friday.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the Lethbridge Police Service was called to the home the father shared with his child's mother and a roommate in Lethbridge on Jan. 18 after the roommate reported suspicions of abuse.

When officers arrived, they found a six-week-old girl in medical distress. The child was having trouble breathing and her hand was twitching. The baby had a fixed gaze and an abrasion on her nose.

The agreed statement of facts says that the father had abused the child – who was born healthy and had no pre-existing medical conditions – slapping her face, throwing her on the bed and shoving a bottle down her throat.

On Jan. 18, police called paramedics to attend the home and take the child to the hospital. As they were on their way, the infant suffered a seizure.

She was taken to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary with a brain bleed, injuries to her spine and hemorrhages in her left eye.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the doctors described her wounds as "worse than a motor vehicle collision," and weren't sure of her chances of survival.

The father admitted to being frustrated with the baby at times, saying he'd drop the baby on a mattress and bounce her on the couch as if she was a basketball.

According to the mother's statement to police, which was shared in court on June 16, only she, the father and the roommate had access to the child.

Her statement said the roommate called police after seeing the father covering the child’s mouth, stopping her from being able to make sounds.

On Jan. 18, the mother said, the baby was having a hard time moving her arm and difficulty breathing.

She said she wanted to take the child to see a doctor but the father wanted to wait and see if the baby would get better on her own.

Doctors say the child's prognosis is not known, and they believe she will suffer from cerebral palsy and may not have vision in her left eye.

The baby was discharged from the hospital in April but continues to get medical care.

The defence says the father is remorseful for his actions and has wanted to resolve the matter since April.

The 31-year-old mother, who pleaded guilty to failing to provide the necessaries of life, is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18.

Accounting for time already served, the father will spend just over six years behind bars. He'll also have to provide a DNA sample and will have a lifetime ban on firearms.