A Calgary couple who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the scalding death of their toddler have each been sentenced to six years in prison.
Justice Glen Poelman of Court of King’s Bench said the couple displayed wanton disregard for the safety of 18-month-old Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua, who died in 2021.
Sonya Pasqua and Michael Sinclair both told court they’re extremely sorry and heartbroken over the death. Both pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter.
The 18-month-old died in October 2021 from an infection and head trauma. He had major burns to a third of his body and was emaciated.
Court heard the the scalding was so severe that the boy should have received emergency medical care and immediate hospitalization, but the parents didn’t seek help and tried to treat the burns with honey.
Sinclair was given roughly 3 1/2 years credit for time already served in custody while Pasqua received about 1 1/2 years credit.
Prosecutor Vicki Faulkner told a sentencing hearing back in May that the couple saw their son as a paycheque.
At that time, the Crown was calling for an eight-year prison sentence.
Court previously heard a text exchange between the parents that discussed how Gabriel needed to heal “cause we still need him as a paycheque.”
“This was not a case of a spontaneous lashing out causing the death of Gabriel. This was not a case of parents who believed in alternative medicine and who loved and cared for the child,” Faulkner told the hearing two months ago.
“They witnessed the pain he was in. They cared only for themselves.”
Faulkner said the parents made the boy suffer.
“The harm and the pain of extreme burns to 33 per cent of his body for, at the very least, a week – how long he suffered is unknown, as selfishly both accused told conflicting stories to police.”
The boy was taken by Child and Family Services as a newborn, after his mother tested positive for cocaine, alcohol and marijuana, and he was placed in the care of a great-uncle and aunt in Taber.
He was returned to his parents in Calgary just months before he died.
On Oct. 5, 2021, EMS were called to a home in the 2800 block of 14 Avenue S.E. for reports of an 18-month-old boy in medical distress.
Emergency responders found Gabriel unresponsive and despite their best efforts, the toddler was declared dead on scene.
— More to come…