The case of a 7-year-old girl from Chomedey who died under unexplained circumstances last January will be the object of a preliminary inquiry beginning at the end of May 2022.
Up to a dozen witnesses are expected to provide testimony during the hearing that will be taking place from May 30 to June 10.
The girl’s mother is currently facing charges of assault and criminal negligence causing death.
While the woman made a court appearance last January, when she required the help of an interpreter, she is not being held in custody although she has to abide by special conditions while waiting for the legal proceedings to move forward.
As there is currently a publication ban on any information that might identify the victim, the mother’s identify also cannot be revealed.
The incidents leading to the charges are alleged to have taken place sometime between Dec. 30 last year and Jan. 3 2021. Some of the charges also related to incidents alleged to have taken place as early as June 1 last year.
According to news reports, the girl, when found by ambulance attendants, had second-degree burns over 80 per cent of her body. The reports said she had either been scalded by boiling water or placed in a bath with water that was much too hot.
She had a plaster cast on one arm from an injury sustained and treated in hospital a few days before she died. The girl was reported to have not been attending school for several months before. She was also said to suffer from serious behavioral problems.
The accused speaks the Afghani language Dari and required an interpreter during an appearance at the Laval courthouse last January.
The bail conditions, which were agreed upon by the defence and the prosecution, required, among other things, that the accused post a $1,000 bail bond and surrender her passport to court officials.
The conditions also required her to live at her current address on Le Boutillier St. in Chomedey. She is also not allowed to communicate with certain people (including her other children), unless it becomes necessary to prepare her legal case with the assistance of a lawyer.
