Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell of Dartmouth pleaded guilty this morning in Nova Scotia Supreme Court to abusing her [foster] daughter.
Questions: Who is the mystery husband who is never named?
Why is he not named?
Where was he when all this neglect and abuse was going on?
Foster mom admits she abused girl
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/29135-foster-mom-admits-she-abused-girl
November 3, 2011
By STEVE BRUCE Court Reporter
A Dartmouth [Nova Scotia, Canada] woman was trembling Thursday as she stood before a judge and admitted abusing her foster daughter.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, pleaded guilty in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax [ Nova Scotia, Canada] to charges of aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessities of life.
The offences were committed between Feb. 1, 2010, and April 20, 2010, when the girl was not quite two years old. The child was hospitalized at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax at the time.
Justice Felix Cacchione ordered Mac-Donnell to return to court on March 1 for sentencing.
Crown attorney Catherine Cogswell said she will be seeking five years in prison for MacDonnell, who has no previous criminal record.
“The allegations of the Crown, which will be read . . . in the agreed statement of facts, are that the child almost died as a result of being deprived of food for a lengthy period of time," Cogswell said outside court.
“These are very serious and egregious criminal offences. That’s why we’re looking at what we perceive to be a lengthy period of incarceration, given her background and lack of criminal record."
MacDonnell held hands with her husband on her way in and out of court Thursday. They had nothing to say to reporters.
She remains free on conditions that she not have any contact with children, consume alcohol or drugs or possess any weapons.
MacDonnell was arrested in June 2010 and remanded to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for a psychiatric assessment.
Doctors said she was fit to stand trial and was not suffering from any mental disorder at the time of the offences that would have made her not criminally responsible for her actions.
Defence lawyer Jean Morris tried to have the case referred to the province’s mental health court in June but the Crown did not give the required consent so the charges stayed in Supreme Court.
The girl, now 3½ , has been placed with another family.
“She’s doing exceptionally well in the circumstances," Cogswell said of the child. “She bounced back medically, cognitively and developmentally once she was cared for and provided with food.
“As a lawyer, it’s difficult to grasp some of the medical concepts and appropriately explain them. My understanding is that the child was suffering malnutrition. As a result of that, once the medical professionals started giving her food and proper nutrition, she suffered re-feeding syndrome to the point that her body actually started to reject the food.
“It took minuscule amounts being provided to her over time to allow her to absorb the food properly into her system and to recover."
MacDonnell was also charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
Those counts are expected to be dismissed in March.
Details of this story in chronological order:
Mother accused of injuring child to be assessed
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/06/25/ns-mother-assessed.htmlFriday, June 25, 2010
CBC News
A 42-year-old Dartmouth [Nova Scotia Canada] woman accused of injuring her daughter will be sent for a 21-day psychiatric assessment to see if she is criminally responsible for her actions.
The assessment will look into Susan MacDonnell's mental state at the time she allegedly deliberately harmed her two-year-old daughter Rachel.
MacDonnell has already been found fit to stand trial.
Police accuse MacDonnell of failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence and unlawfully endangering the toddler's life.
There is a publication ban on evidence that led to the assessment order. [Why ?]
Alleged child abuser may not be criminally responsible
http://m.news957.com/Local/Article/70931Doug Cogswell Jun 26, 2010
A woman charged with abusing her two-year-old daughter has been found fit to stand trial.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 42, went before a judge yesterday.
She now faces a 21 day psychiatric assessment to determine if she was criminally responsible at the time of the alleged offences.
A publication ban prevents the release of the exact details of the case but earlier this week the Chronicle-Herald reported MacDonnell is accused of removing her daughter's feeding tube and tampering with formula the toddler was getting while at the IWK.
The alleged offences took place between March of 2009 and April of this year [2010] when MacDonnell entered the mental health ward at the QE2.
Crown Attorney Catherine Cogswell tells CTV MacDonnell's been receiving psychiatric treatment since then and that why the second assessment was ordered.
"It was a combination of the unique aspects or the peculiarity of those facts combined with the fact that she's been under ongoing psychiatric care since the time of the allegations," she said. "As a result of reviewing the facts I became concerned about whether or not she had a psychiatric illness that would essentially render her not criminally responsible."
She is charged with aggravated assault, criminal negligence causing bodily harm and failing to provide the necessities of life.
The toddler is reported to be doing well.
Mother accused of injuring child fit for trial
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/07/19/ns-mother-fit-for-trial.htmlMonday, July 19, 2010
CBC News
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, shown here on July 19, 2010.
A psychiatric exam for a Dartmouth woman has found her fit to stand trial on charges of failing to provide the necessities of life to her two-year-old daughter.
In June, a judge ordered the 21-day assessment to assess the mental state of Susan MacDonnell, 42. She was charged after her daughter became more ill while being treated at the IWK Health Centre.
Police accuse her of failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence and unlawfully endangering Rachel MacDonnell's life.
Susan MacDonnell will stay in hospital in Halifax for at least the next two months and is due in court in September to answer to the charges.
There is a publication ban on evidence that led to the psychiatric assessment order.
Mother released from custody
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/article/582584--mother-released-from-custody
ALEX BOUTILIER
FOR METRO HALIFAX
July 20, 2010
A mother accused of assaulting her toddler has been released from custody. Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell of Dartmouth faces charges of aggravated assault, criminal negligence, and failure to provide the necessities of life to her two-year-old daughter. In June, MacDonnell was ordered to undergo a 21-day psychiatric evaluation to determine if she was criminally responsible for the acts. Conditions of her release include staying at the Abbie Lane mental health centre and refraining from contact with children under 18.
Mother may plead guilty to child-abuse charges
http://thechronicleherald.ca/front/19378-mother-may-plead-guilty-child-abuse-charges
October 6, 2011
By STEVE BRUCE Court Reporter
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, shown here on July 19, 2010, is negotiating a plea to charges involving a young child that include failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, aggravated assault and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
A Dartmouth woman accused of harming her young daughter over a one-year period is negotiating a plea bargain with the Crown, a judge was told this morning.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, is charged with failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, aggravated assault and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
The charges were docketed for Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax [Nova Scotia, Canada] today for the purpose of setting trial dates, but defence lawyer Jean Morris informed the judge she's working out an agreed statement of facts with prosecutor Catherine Cogswell.
“I'm still negotiating some slight changes,” Morris said in asking for a one-week adjournment.
Justice Robert Wright went along with the request, saying: “I've looked at the file. It looks like there's some possibility of a resolution.”
MacDonnell, who was not present in court today, remains free on bail, with conditions that she not have any contact with children, consume alcohol or drugs or possess any weapons.
The Crown alleges that MacDonnell abused her daughter between March 1, 2009, and April 20, 2010.
The little girl was two years old when MacDonnell was arrested in June 2010 and remanded to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for a psychiatric assessment. Doctors said she was fit to stand trial and was not suffering from any mental disorder at the time of the alleged offences that would have made her not criminally responsible for her actions.
This June, MacDonnell's lawyer tried to have the case referred to the province's mental health court, but the Crown did not give the required consent so the charges stayed in Supreme Court.
Court delayed again for mom accused of injuring child
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/10/13/ns-macdonnell-court-proceedings.htmlCBC News Posted: Oct 13, 2011
CBC NEWS
Crown prosecutor Catherine Cogswell says a trial must go forward against a foster mother accused of injuring her daughter.
Court proceedings involving a Dartmouth foster mother charged with injuring her two-year-old daughter were delayed again Thursday when the accused didn't show up for court.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, was first charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, as well as aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessities of life in June 2010.
MacDonnell waived her right to a preliminary hearing last spring and on Thursday when she didn't show up, the Crown insisted the court set a trial date.
"It's extremely frustrating from the Crown's perspective to continue to have this matter delayed at the request of Ms. Morris," said Crown prosecutor Catherine Cogswell, talking about MacDonnell's legal aid lawyer Jean Morris.
"This is a matter that is extremely serious. A young child — 22 months old — almost died," Cogswell told CBC News.
Other foster children in MacDonnell's household were also removed by the Department of Community Services.
Cogswell said it was expected that Morris and her client would enter a plea based on an agreed upon statement of facts. The two sides have been negotiating for weeks.
"I anticipated that Ms. MacDonnell would be here today, I anticipated there would be a change of plea and Ms. Morris informed us this morning that was not the case," Cogswell said.
Medical report
Instead, on Thursday the defence requested more time based on a medical report Morris claimed to have only recently received.
The Crown said Morris had received the report a year ago. Morris admitted that to be true, then apologized to the court.
Cogswell argued Thursday that while terms of the facts are close to being resolved, MacDonnell's charges are too serious for further delay.
"She adopted a special needs child and as a result of her care of that child in terms of manipulation and withholding the feeding tube from this child, the child almost died," Cogswell said.
"Were it not for the intervention of medical services and suspicion of medical services, then that child likely would have had much more serious consequences."
Those allegations have not yet been tested in court.
MacDonnell remains free on bail [ Why? !] and Cogswell said the little girl is doing well with her new family.
The next court date is in two weeks time, and two weeks have been set aside at the end of January [for trial] if there's no resolution.
Crown frustrated with delays in abuse case
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/24697-crown-frustrated-delays-abuse-caseOctober 14, 2011
STEVE BRUCE Court Reporter
A prosecutor is getting tired of waiting for a Dartmouth woman to take responsibility for allegedly abusing her young daughter.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, is charged with failing to provide the necessities of life, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, aggravated assault and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
She allegedly harmed the little girl between March 1, 2009, and April 20, 2010.
MacDonnell was expected to plead guilty to one of the charges Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax, but defence lawyer Jean Morris instead asked for one more adjournment.
Morris told the court that she wants a doctor’s report incorporated into an agreed statement of facts that she is working on with Crown attorney Catherine Cogswell.
The defence lawyer requested that the case be adjourned for two weeks.
Cogswell sprang out of her chair to voice her opposition to the defence motion.
"These are very serious charges before the court," the prosecutor said. "This is a situation where a woman adopted a child and almost killed her.
"Ms. Morris has continued to delay and delay and delay. The Crown is extremely frustrated."
Cogswell said the two sides are close to a resolution, so she could go along with a two-week delay, but she also asked the judge to block off some tentative dates for trial.
If necessary, the judge-alone trial will get underway in late January.
Justice Peter Rosinski ordered the lawyers to return to court Oct. 27.
MacDonnell did not attend court Thursday. She is free on conditions that she not have any contact with children, consume alcohol or drugs or possess any weapons.
The girl was two years old when MacDonnell was arrested in June 2010 and remanded to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for a psychiatric assessment.
Doctors said she was fit to stand trial and was not suffering from any mental disorder at the time of the alleged offences that would have made her not criminally responsible for her actions.
MacDonnell’s lawyer tried to have the case referred to the province’s mental health court this June, but the Crown did not give the required consent, so the charges stayed in Supreme Court.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell and mystery husband
N.S. foster mom admits to starving child
Nov 3, 2011
CBC News
A Dartmouth, N.S., foster mother pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessities of life by denying food to her two-year-old foster daughter.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, was first charged in June 2010 with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, as well as the other two charges after the foster child became more ill while being treated at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
Crown attorney Catherine Cogswell told the court Thursday that the little girl nearly died after being hospitalized due to malnutrition.
The Crown will be seeking a five-year jail term when MacDonnell is sentenced on March 1. She is free on bail until then.
The criminal acts took place over a two-month period beginning in February 2010, after the little girl was hospitalized with dehydration and malnutrition.
Cogswell said the child, who has special needs, is doing well, but medical staff at the IWK Health Centre suspected wrongdoing when the child was slow to recover.
"The allegations of the Crown are that the child almost died as a result of being deprived of food for a lengthy period of time," she said.
At an earlier bail hearing, the Crown said MacDonnell admitted to disconnecting the child's feeding tube in the hospital, and to diluting a high glucose formula at least six times.
A psychiatric examination found the mother fit to stand trial. Defense lawyer, Jean Morris, has asked for a pre-sentence report to try and reduce the five-year jail term the Crown is seeking.
"Ms. MacDonnell has no criminal record. This is her first offense. That being said, these are very serious and egregious offenses. That's why we are looking at what we perceive as a lengthy period of incarceration," Cogswell said.
Other foster children in MacDonnell's household were also removed by the Department of Community Services.
Mother’s sentencing on abuse charges delayed until May
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/68919-mother-s-sentencing-abuse-charges-delayed-until-may March 1, 2012
By STEVE BRUCE Court Reporter
Susan MacDonnell leaves Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax with her [mystery] husband in November.
A Dartmouth woman’s sentencing for abusing her foster daughter has been postponed until May.
Susan Elizabeth MacDonnell, 43, pleaded guilty in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax in November to charges of aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessities of life.
The offences were committed between Feb. 1, 2010, and April 20, 2010, when the girl was hospitalized at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax because of dehydration and malnutrition.
MacDonnell was supposed to be sentenced Thursday, but her lawyer appeared in court three weeks ago to get an adjournment.
Defence lawyer Jean Morris told the court she was going to be away on vacation [ ? ! ] when legal briefs were due and that her client was experiencing delays in getting mental health treatment.
Crown attorney John Scott opposed the defence’s request, saying the prosecution was frustrated by the slow progress of the case.
Justice Pierre Muise chastised Morris for scheduling her vacation when she knew there was a conflict, but he granted the adjournment anyway.
The judge said he didn’t want to penalize the accused for her lawyer doing something that he viewed as “inappropriate.”
MacDonnell’s sentencing is now set for May 4. The Crown is expected to argue for a sentence of five years in prison.
The prosecution says the little girl almost died from being denied food for an extended period of time and that MacDonnell disconnected her feeding tube and diluted her formula at the hospital.
MacDonnell was arrested in June 2010 and remanded for a psychiatric assessment. A doctor said she was fit to stand trial and was not suffering from any mental disorder at the time of the offences that would have made her not criminally responsible.
The woman remains free on a $5,000 recognizance, with conditions including having no contact with children, not consume alcohol or drugs or possess any weapons.
The girl, now almost four, has been adopted by another family and is doing “exceptionally well,” according to the Crown.
Other foster children were also removed from MacDonnell’s home.
