Sask. mother who killed newborn daughter sentenced to 6 years
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
A judge handed down a six-year sentence for a Kindersley woman who killed her newborn daughter.
Teenie Rose Steer threw her one-month-old baby against a living room wall, court heard.
Steer told investigators the killing happened in a moment of frustration and anger when the baby wouldn’t settle.
The then 28-year-old mother told police she heard a crack when the infant hit the wall and realized the child had no signs of life, court heard. She then put her daughter back in the bassinet.
The infant was pronounced dead in hospital on Sept. 27, 2018.
An autopsy found the newborn had a nine centimetre skull fracture and died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Steer was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Justice Gerald Allbright delivered his 33-page sentencing decision on Friday at Saskatoon’s Queen’s Bench.
“[The baby’s] life was ended at the hands of the same person who gave her life,” Allbright said.
The Crown pushed for an eight-year sentence, while the defence argued for a four to four-and-a-half year sentence.
Allbright considered Steer’s delay to tell the truth as an aggravating factor.
Steer originally gave police differing explanations of how her child died.
She first told RCMP she found her daughter unresponsive in the bassinet.
In a second interview with investigators, Steer changed her story about where the baby was sleeping the night she died.
At one point, she attempted to advance a theory that her other three-year-old daughter was jealous of her newborn sister and mistreated her.
Court heard it took 17 months for Steer to admit to police what happened.
“I think he appreciated in the end that her inability to be forthcoming with that, at the first instance, was something that to consider as aggravating,” said Crown prosecutor Janyne Laing.
Laing argued Steer’s failed obligation to care for her vulnerable child was also an aggravating factor, which the judge considered in his decision.
“This very young child had a right to live a life, unmarked by violence and she lost that night. That must never be forgotten,” Allbright said.
The defence argued Steer faced poverty and a troubled childhood with abuse in the home.
At the time of the killing, the defence said Steer hadn’t slept in days and was in a state of extreme exhaustion.
Steer appeared in court virtually from Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford where court heard Steer is taking, and excelling, in different courses.
Allbright said he believes Steer has remorse for the killing and is confident in her rehabilitation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.