LONGUEUIL – Was it a freak accident or a case of unacceptable child abuse?
That’s the question a judge in Longueuil has to answer in the case of 74-year-old Moussa Sidime.
Sidime pleaded guilty to manslaughter last June in connection with the death of his 13-year-old daughter Noutene.
On Oct. 6, 2010, Sidime slapped his daughter twice in the face during a dispute inside their Chemin Chambly home.
His daughter fell to the ground, lost consciousness, and died a few days later in hospital.
According to a pathologist’s report, the slaps ruptured an artery inside the girl’s brain.
On Tuesday, Sidime was in court for a pre-sentencing hearing.
He took the stand and pleaded with the judge for leniency.
He described himself as a peaceful, quiet person – and described his daughter’s death as an “accident.”
“This is an exceptional case,” defence lawyer Marie-Josee Duhaime argued.
“It could justify clemency from the court.”
The crown prosecutor in the case, Julie Laborde, sees it another way.
She recommended a prison sentence of two years less a day, adding a message needs to be sent to society.
“The Canadian society will not accept violence towards children,” Laborde told Global News.
“Corporal punishment is not allowed especially slaps to the face, blows to the head will not be protected by the law, you will be held accountable for your actions.”
Moussa Sidime’s wife and four other children also testified in Tuesday’s hearing.
They also delivered emotional pleas to the judge.
“If he is incarcerated, there will be a bigger hole in my heart,” the suspect’s daughter Odilla Sidime told the court, choking back tears.
Justice Richard Marleau is expected to hand down his sentence May 21.
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