He hadn’t showered in over a year, the sheets in his filthy room hadn’t been cleaned, and he was fed only twice a day, always take-out.
But for a 12-year old boy that was locked in a bedroom for over two years, justice was finally served on Wednesday morning.
Ontario Court Justice John Skowronski handed down eighteen month prison sentences for the boys Aunt and Uncle, with another two years of probation to be served upon release.
Although Skowronski expressed his distaste for incarceration in the sentencing, he handed down the hard verdict based on the need for the community to protect children.
The couple expressed deep remorse for their actions, with their church, family, and friends providing letters to the court in their defense.
But the evidence was too great. The boy had been living in squalor at the time of his release in 2014, in a room that smelled of urine and feces. His Uncle admitted to placing a lock on the child’s door at the beginning of his captivity.
The couple sat still throughout the sentencing, with their heads slightly bowed and their shoulders forward. When the verdict was read, the female began to cry .
The child is now in foster care, and has been described by his guardians as kind, polite and funny. He is excelling at a grade 1 level in the classroom, and has made a lot of friends.
The plan is for him to be adopted in the following months; as Skowronski explained, a bright future could be just what he needs to extinguish his dark past.
With the case finally finished, he will now be able to live the normal life he deserves.
