Bail has once again been denied to an Edmonton mother whose young daughters were found by a babysitter, allegedly locked in a basement with bruises and broken bones.
Provincial court Judge Steven Bilodeau denied the application for a bail review Wednesday.
Dressed in a yellow sweat suit, the mother briefly glanced at three of her family members in the gallery before leaving the courtroom.
A bail review for her co-accused and former roommate was adjourned until Sept. 20.
CBC can’t report the reasons for the decision because of a publication ban on evidence and submissions.
A publication ban also prevents the identification of the victims, so the women are referred to by their initials J.L. and A.M.
J.L. is the mother of the two girls ages 6 and 3.
Babysitter Justice Taylor told CBC she discovered J.L.’s girls locked in a basement barricaded by a dresser last December.
Taylor said the girls were severely bruised, scarred and malnourished and had been locked in boxes.
Sources told CBC News the girls had broken bones, and the younger girl had likely been eating her own hair. A.M.’s children, who slept upstairs, showed no signs of abuse, said Taylor.
The women face numerous charges, including unlawful confinement, abandonment and failure to provide the necessaries of life. A.M. is also accused of assaulting two of her children with a belt.
Charges of attempted murder were downgraded to aggravated assault at the start of the preliminary inquiry in September.
Bail for the women was initially denied on Feb. 26 by provincial court judge Susan Richardson.
Could exceed Jordan timelines
Outside court, J.L.’s lawyer Ajay Juneja said a judge must find a change in the circumstances of the accused to review their release, and in this case Bilodeau found they had not changed.
“I respect the decision, and it was a very intelligent and well written, rational decision, however I must admit that I am disappointed as I feel that my client deserves to be released,” said Juneja.
An Edmonton mother accused of abusing her two daughters allegedly found locked in a basement has once again been denied bail. (CBC )
The court ruled provincial offences need to be tried within 18 months of a charge and superior court (Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta) charges need to be tried within 30 months.“Given current scheduling dates it looks like we’re not going to get to trial until sometime in 2020, most likely the middle of 2020, which means that my client will have been in custody for two and a half years just waiting for the opportunity to assert her innocence on allegations that have yet to be proven,” Juneja said.
Juneja said he plans to appeal the bail decision to the Court of Queen’s Bench.