Couple accused of horrific abuse of children

Children brutalized after surviving crash that killed their parents, Crown alleges

They survived a “horrific” crash which killed their parents only to be brutalized by the aunt and uncle who adopted them, a prosecutor said Monday.

In detailing the case expected to be presented in court, Crown lawyer William Tran told court the three Calgary children went from one nightmare to another.

Tran said the children, two girls and a boy, lost their parents in the fall of 2006, in a crash in the U.S.

“(They) were involved in a horrific car accident in New Jersey, and although they survived, unfortunately their parents did not,” Tran told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Sandy Park.

“Following the car accident the three young children were adopted by (their aunt) who is the biological sister of the children’s deceased mother and her husband ... in late 2009,” he said.

“However, unbeknownst to them or anyone else outside the family, a new ordeal began.”

The aunt faces charges of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm on each of the three children, while the uncle faces three charges of assault with a weapon and three of criminal negligence for failing to stop his wife’s abuse. The allegations run from Jan. 1, 2010, to Jan. 22, 2011, when injuries were discovered by a teacher of the younger daughter.

At the time, the older girl was 13, while her sister was seven and her brother was six. A publication ban prohibits naming any of the children, or their adoptive parents.

“You will hear from all three children,” Tran told Park. “They will detail the punishment they suffered at the hands of (the accused).

“They will tell you how they were punished with punches, kicks and slaps to the head and body,” Tran said. “They will detail how they were placed in cold showers time and time again.

“How (the aunt or uncle) would use various utensils from the home, including wooden spoons, belts, electrical cords, needles, dish soap and barbecue forks to carry out the torture,” he said.

The younger daughter was particularly abused, the prosecutor said. “(She) will tell you how she was subjected to having her tongue burnt with a lighter and how she was forced to drink her own vomit.”

The adoptive parents would force the children to stay home from school, or wear long sleeves, or sweaters to hide the injuries.

Following Tran’s opening address, defence lawyers Karen Molle and Kelsey Sitar complained his statement contained inflammatory comment and rhetoric.

“The Crown’s opening address is not the forum for opinion,” Molle said.

But Tran denied his comments were inflammatory. “It was not inflammatory, but provided an overview of the evidence,” he said.

Park said he will reserve judgment on the case “until I hear evidence out of the mouths of the witnesses.”

The trial is scheduled to last 10 days.