A Chomedey mother who was originally charged with criminal negligence causing the death of her 7-year-old daughter more than two years ago pleaded guilty at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Thursday to the lesser charge of failing to provide the necessities of life when the girl was suffering from a serious injury.
According to a report presented by a pathologist during the case against the woman who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, the girl, who was widely reported to have suffered from extensive burns, had inflicted them on herself.
The woman, of Afghani origin, admitted she failed to provide the necessities of life over five days, from Dec. 30, 2020 to Jan. 3, 2021, at their home on Boutillier St. in Chomedey.
According to a jointly-agreed statement of facts between the prosecution and the defence, in the months before the girl died, she was diagnosed with a series of mental-health problems, including Tourette’s syndrome.
She stopped attending school in 2020 and became more anxious. She also began banging her head against walls inside the family’s home.
The girl began assaulting a younger sister and the mother became overwhelmed by her daughter’s aggressive behavior.
The mother called 9-1-1 on Jan. 4, 2020 to report that her 7-year-old daughter had stopped breathing.
Taken to hospital, emergency room staff found the girl had suffered burns to a large area of her body. The pathologist concluded the burns had been inflicted by the girl on herself.
The guilty plea means the mother will not have to be subjected to a trial, which would have taken place in March.
