Mother guilty of 20 child abuse charges in Conception Bay

A woman in Conception Bay North was found guilty of 20 charges related to child abuse in a Harbour Grace courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

The mother, who can't be identified under a publication ban to protect the identities of the children, was facing more than 40 counts when the trial began.

Judge James Walsh found the mother, 32, guilty of charges including assault, forcible confinement, negligence and child corruption.

Some charges of assault were dismissed.

Walsh said one of the children was "systematically tortured by her mother."

The court heard the children were routinely slapped, punched and kicked by the woman over a period of years.

During the trial, some of the children testified their mother would become angry and frustrated when she couldn't have sex, and took it out on the children.

Some of the children also said their parents would force them to watch from the floor as the couple had sex on their bed.

The woman is expected back in court in July, when the defence and Crown will present their sentencing recommendations.