The grandparents of a five-year-old boy who was locked up and left to wither and die in a cold, fetid room, were convicted of second-degree murder yesterday in what police said was one of the worst cases of child abuse in Canada. Elva Bottineau, 54, and Norman Kidman, 53, were supposed to save Jeffrey Baldwin and his siblings from a life of abuse at the hands of their parents.
Instead the couple turned out to be the devil's incarnations who posed their will on a helpless soul. Jeffrey's only crime was to be born into a cruel society that pleads ignorance in the face of their savior.
How could this pair have been allowed to use the children as a source of income? They collected government cheques in their names while confining the young ones to what police described as "a horrible room" that was "harsh, dark, cold and damp. Where were the agencies set up to investigate such abuses? Why was this little gods creation allowed to suffer?
The courts heard Police Officer after another stand and testify how this case was the worse they seen. How Jeffrey was hidden away in the unheated bedroom for as long as 14 hours a day, breathing in the stench of his own urine and feces. Juror's endured the description of the child's room as "extremely shocking," with wet uncarpeted floors, mattresses soaked through and littered with stains, bags of filthy diapers throughout, and no toys in sight.
Jeffrey, who weighed just 21 pounds when he died in November 2002, was treated like a contestant in a human cock fight, having to eat from a bowl with his fingers and drink from a toilet when he was thirsty. The problem was the people he needed to fight for his safety coward just below him in the splendor of their abode while this hero died in squalor.
Jeffrey and his sister were locked up so frequently that regular visitors to the home often had no idea they even lived there. How? Even an untrained person should have known something was wrong, wasn't their a smell, noises? Court heard it took several weeks of repeated visits until they finally learned of what was called "bedroom number two".
On an early visit one officer noted a lock on the door and asked for it to be removed in a later visit he noticed the lock had been removed and inquired about it. Norman Kidman hastily returned with a regular eyelet and hook type clasp. Again I have to ask why did this not merit grounds for a search warrant? Why the wait?
Elva Bottineau's lawyer argued she did not deliberately kill her grandson. He cited a psychologist who testified Bottineau was mentally handicapped with a personality disorder preventing her from seeing Jeffrey waste away. But another expert witness, countered that Bottineau had knew what she was doing and lied to protect herself.
We can't just say oh she didn't know she was mentally sick, that wouldn't be fair to Jeffrey who didn't ask to thrown away all because an abnormal women with no regard for humanity, who didn't seek treatment, was allowed into his life.
It will interesting to hear what Ontario's chief coroner has to say in his inquest as to the involvement of the Toronto Catholic Children's Aid Society, the people who should have been responsible for Jeffrey's care and well being.
The Catholic Children's Aid Society released a statement in it's defense saying it deeply regrets Jeffrey's tragic death and wished it had done more to prevent it. Sorry to little to late.
On April 12 the trial will resume to discuss sentencing. Unfortunately no earthly sentence will be suffice for these two devils disciples. I truly hope these two are prepared to meet their makers and in the end when little Jeffrey Baldwin steps through heavens gates and takes his place in heavens chorus. His voice of damnation is finally heard. Only then can the process of forgiveness begin.
Later,
Kenaz
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