Winnipeg mom acquitted of child abandonment charges
A Winnipeg mom who was facing child abandonment charges has been acquitted Friday.
"She is absolutely relieved," said Michael Law, the mom's lawyer. "You saw how emotional she was. This has been extremely stressful for her. She's so relieved that it's over."
The mom left her six-year-old son unattended in their St. Vital home for 90 minutes. During that time, she ran errands and picked up some medication as she wasn't feeling well. A health-care aide by profession, the mom also stopped in and visited some of her clients.
By coincidence, the woman's husband spotted her running errands without their son and grew concerned. The couple was separated at the time.
Police were called and found the six-year-old home alone, snacking while playing with arts and crafts.
The boy, who the mom said was left watching television, was not injured during the period of time he spent alone.
Just the same, Crown attorney Nancy Fazenda previously argued that impaired driving is considered an offence even if there is no catastrophic incident related to the charges. She argued the same logic should apply to this case.
It is a federal offence to abandon a child under the age of 10, as the life or health of the child is likely to be endangered.
And although Justice Margaret Wiebe, who was presiding over the case, called the mom’s actions to be in poor judgment Friday, she also said there was no evidence indicating the mom had an intent to harm her son.
Wiebe said that while it was clear the mom left her son in a safe, secure, well-kept home, the boy shouldn't have been left alone.
Wiebe also said in her decision that she took into consideration that the mother was under stress at the time of the incident. She had been facing financial issues, had no family in Winnipeg and no support system where she could leave the boy, the judge said.
The boy has been living with his dad since the 2013 incident. The mom hasn't seen her boy since then. Her lawyer said the boy's dad has refused to let the two have any contact in that time — something the mom now intends to fight in court.
