Probation for father who threatened to kill children

A man who threatened to drown five of his eight children by driving them into the Niagara River, and then held them captive inside a hotel, was described by his lawyer as a dedicated family man.

“He does pride himself as a family man, he had a very close relationship with his children and he’s deeply remorseful for the pain, suffering and trauma he caused his children,” defence counsel Rebecca Meredith said in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines Monday.

The 37-year-old father of eight children appeared in court via Zoom from Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold for sentencing on several offences including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and uttering death threats.

“His behaviour was nothing short of terrorizing to his wife and five very young children,” Judge Donald Wolfe said.

“The family is irretrievably broken.”

The offender, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victims, was granted a suspended sentence — having spent the equivalent of 121 days in pretrial custody — and placed on probation for three years.

Court was told the defendant lives in a small town near Sarnia but often moved his large family from town to town.

Recently, he and his wife and five of their children, aged one to nine, had been staying at a motel on Lundy’s Lane in Niagara Falls.

In early September, court was told, the man was driving near the Niagara River when he told his wife and children he was going to drown them all in the river.

The following day, he told his family, “You’re going to have your last breakfast and then I’m drowning you all.”

During the incident, court heard, one child was “stomped” and the defendant held a screwdriver to his toddler’s neck. The children did not sustain any serious injuries.

Court heard the man struggles with mental-health issues and had grown increasingly paranoid prior to the incident. The defendant apologized in court.

“I know words mean a lot, but actions mean a lot more. I’m looking for redemption right now and I’m not planning on doing this again.”