Deaths were preventable

System failed young girls Chloe and Aubrey

The system failed Chloe and Aubrey Berry, two little girls found dead inside a home in Oak Bay on Christmas Day. While details are vague at the moment, what’s shocking is the documentation from a recent custody battle involving the girls’ parents.

Sarah Cotton, the girls’ mother, detailed a history of inappropriate behaviour by the father. Cotton alleges that the father was abusive, had a history of erratic driving (even with his family in the car), shared the same bed with his daughters, and once threatened to blow up their house.

There was even a complaint of inappropriate touching.

Andrew Berry, the girls’ 43-year-old father, is now sitting in a jail cell awaiting a court appearance on Feb. 1 where he faces two counts of second degree murder. The accusations have not been proven in court and Berry is innocent until proven guilty.

The question remains why Berry was allowed unsupervised visitation privileges.

Andrew Berry was on a downward spiral in life. He was gifted athletically and musically and once held a decent job with BC Ferries.

More recently he was unemployed and fell behind on his child support payments. His wife had a restraining order on him. He failed to show up to any of the court-ordered parenting classes.

Nonetheless, a judge believed he was a competent and “loving parent.” The judge gave him a chance, believing it was in the best interest of the girls.

Whenever possible, children deserve the love of both parents. The courts have been pressured for years to provide equal and fair access to both parents.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development, citing privacy issues, declined comment on what’s a very public case. Depleted resources and a decline in financing from the provincial government is another issue.

While nothing will reverse this horrible tragedy from happening, someone needs to be held accountable. We don’t need another expensive report to tell us what we already know: we need accountability.

There lies the problem with bureaucracy in Canada. Nobody wants to be held accountable.

What’s most tragic in this case is the deaths of these two little girls was preventable.

—James Miller, Valley Editor (with files from The Canadian Press)