Man who killed 3-year-old girl eligible for parole after 14 years

A Calgary man who beat and killed his girlfriend’s three-year-old daughter will have to serve at least 14 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, a judge ruled Friday morning.

Justin Bennett, 30, was convicted in March 2021 of second-degree murder in the beating death of Ivy Wick.

The parole ineligibility period started the day Bennett was arrested in 2018, meaning he will be able to apply for parole in just under nine years.

Wick died of head and brain injuries in September of 2017. Bennett was charged a year later after he confessed to an undercover officer that he had smashed the girl’s head and threw her against a wall.

The man said he was angry because the child had interrupted his video game.

During sentencing, Wick's mother Helen Wordsworth delivered a victim impact statement that described the anger and profound grief she has suffered as a result of the death of her daughter.

Three-year-old Ivy Wick died from her injuries in a Calgary hospital in October 2017 (supplied)

“I cry myself to sleep every night blaming myself for not being able to protect her from you,” Wordsworth said in the victim impact statement.

“You took my light away and left me in a dark nightmare that I now have to carry on my shoulders for the rest of my life.”

AUTOMATIC LIFE SENTENCE

Bennett received an automatic life sentence for the murder conviction.

Justice Blair Nixon noted Bennett had served 1,989 days behind bars prior to Friday's decision about parole eligibility.

Justice Nixon found several aggravating factors in making his consideration for parole eligibility: Wick’s age, the violation of the offender’s position of trust and the amount of time it took Bennett to call 911.

Bennett made five calls before dialling 911, including calls to his former girlfriend, his father and his stepmother.

In his 18-page written decision, Nixon said Bennett has been assaulted in jail and the justice asked correctional services to consider Bennett’s request to serve out his sentence in protective custody.