The Crown will seek an adult sentence for a 16-year-old girl accused of killing a baby if she is found guilty of the crime, according to a prosecutor at Saskatoon provincial court Monday morning.
The notification was given to the judge while the girl made a brief court appearance via video. The prosecutor also asked for a psychological assessment on the accused to be ordered.
READ MORE: Family member of dead Saskatoon baby wants alleged killer tried as an adult
On July 3, police responded to an injured baby in the 200-block of Waterloo Crescent. The six-week-old boy, Nikosis Jace Cantre, was found and taken to Royal University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The teenager has been charged with second-degree murder. Her name cannot be released under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Earlier this month, the great-grandmother of the Nikosis Jace called for the accused to “to get charged as an adult” while speaking to reporters outside of court.
Defence lawyer Jay Watson said “it’s not out of the ordinary at all” for the Crown to notify the judge it will seek an adult sentence for a youth accused of murder. He pointed out that the gap between youth and adult sentences for serious crimes can be huge.
“The toughest youth sentence that you could get would be a total of 10 years; six years in custody and then four with various other procedures thereafter,” said Watson, who is not affiliated with the case.
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Watson said one of the ordinary conditions to have a youth sentenced as an adult would be if they had committed a serious crime, like murder or aggravated sexual assault. The youth must also be at least 14-years-old, according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
“The onus is on the Crown to prove to the judge the presumption that there’s less moral culpability and reduced capacity to some degree,” Watson said.
“They look at the accused record, if there’s been any type of other serious offences and all of the other personal circumstances.”
The teenager is scheduled to be back in court on Aug. 24.
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