Grandparents guilty in child neglect case

A Regina judge has found a man and woman accused of neglecting their three-year-old granddaughter guilty of failing to provide the necessities of life.

"Not only was the evidence extensive and compelling, it was overwhelming," Queen's Bench Justice Frank Gerein said in his 14-page written decision.

The couple held hands and wept as Gerein read his decision.

Sentencing has been set for Feb 27.

A publication ban is in place covering any information that may identify the child, who was staying with her grandparents because her mother was addicted to drugs.

During the trial last month, the Crown said that in 2007 and 2008, when the girl was staying with her grandparents, she was denied food and medical attention and had been locked in a furnace room.

Doctors who examined her said she was small, underweight, suffered from malnutrition and may have suffered from emotional deprivation.

One witness said she witnessed the grandfather grabbing the girl and throwing her into a room, while saying, "Get into there, you little bitch."

The girl showed evidence of broken bones, but Gerein said he couldn't rule out an accidental cause.

Social Services removed the girl from the home and she was taken to a hospital, where she stayed for four days. When she got out, she was placed in a foster home.

The grandparents, who conducted their own defence but did not appear as witnesses, said at the end of the trial that they didn't have sufficient support or resources to properly care for the child.

The grandfather said Thursday that Gerein's decision will be appealed.

The girl is now 7.

"She has now returned to normal and again displays the positive attributes which she once enjoyed," Gerein said in his decision.