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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.