By meadowlakeNOW Staff

Bail granted to Meadow Lake woman in child neglect case

Jan 16, 2018 | 8:00 AM

A 30-year-old Meadow Lake woman, co-accused in a neglect case involving five children, has been granted bail on an undertaking with several conditions.

In Meadow Lake provincial court on Monday, Judge Miguel Martinez heard from Crown prosecutor Andrew Clements and defence lawyer Rosanne Newman on the matter.

A 35-year-old male and the woman are accused of neglecting five children after an investigation which began in July 2016. The children were removed from the residence at that time and have not been in the care of the two adults since then. Following an extensive investigation that involved many interviews and analysis of evidence, the pair was charged by Meadow Lake RCMP on Dec. 1, 2017, and arrested in Saskatoon on Dec. 6.

Both are charged with five counts of failure to provide necessaries of life, five counts of forcible confinement, and two counts of assault causing bodily harm. The male is also charged with one count of aggravated assault.

There were three grounds the court was hearing on the bail sentence. The first examined the woman’s likelihood to appear in court as promised. The second looked at the level of risk of criminal offences relating to the protection of the victims. The woman has no criminal record outside of the above-listed charges. The final ground looked at the seriousness of the offenses, the strength of the Crown’s case and the likelihood of a jail sentence.  

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Clements presented a lengthy list of facts, which were compiled from doctor’s notes, RCMP, statements from the children and notes from Ministry of Social Service workers.

Martinez said there ‘was no doubt that the charges are troubling and extremely serious,’ and that if convicted, she would face a lengthy jail sentence. In this particular case, given the fact she has no previous record and has cooperated thus far, Martinez released her with an undertaking including several conditions. She must regularly report to a probation officer, remain at the address where she is currently residing and cannot change it without permission from her bail supervisor. She also cannot have any contact, direct or indirect, with any of the children or the co-accused.

Martinez warned the accused, stating that if she if she breached any of the conditions, her chances of being released again would be reduced substantially, as the rules are set out to protect the five children involved.

There is a publication ban on naming the victims, or naming anyone that could identify the victims.

The male is set to appear in court again on Monday, Jan. 22.

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