CALGARY – The appeal process of both the conviction and sentence given to an Alberta couple who failed to get proper medical treatment for their son who later died of bacterial meningitis could take years according to legal experts.
David Stephan was sentenced to four months in jail earlier this year and his wife Collet three months of house arrest.
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Long-time Calgary defence lawyer Alain Hepner has had a lot of experience in cases like this and says it’s going to be a while before it’s resolved.
Both he and University of Calgary law professor Lisa Silver say the appeal of the Stephans convictions likely won’t happen until the fall of 2017.
It’s also expected it could be 2018 before the judge rules on the appeal and then will have to deal with the question of sentencing.
The parents treated their 19-month-old son Ezekiel with hot pepper, garlic, onions and horseradish instead of taking him to a doctor, and only called an ambulance after he stopped breathing in 2012.