Sentencing following guilty pleas to assault with a weapon against a very young child and failing to provide the necessities of life to three children left unattended overnight.
The court considered the offender's youth, guilty plea, traumatic upbringing, history as a victim of domestic violence, lack of record, and evidence of some rehabilitative efforts, but held that denunciation and deterrence were the primary sentencing objectives because the offences involved abuse and neglect of very young children.
Applying the sentencing principles in the Criminal Code and the conditional sentence analysis from Proulx, the court concluded that a conditional sentence would not be proportionate or appropriate.
A global custodial sentence of 120 days less 39 days enhanced credit, for a net 81 days, was imposed together with three years probation, child-contact restrictions, a five-year weapons prohibition order, and waiver of the victim fine surcharge.
