UPDATE: On Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, the women in this case were denied bail.
Two women accused of the horrific abuse of children in their home were seeking bail at the Edmonton Law Courts on Thursday.
One of the accused, a 24-year-old woman, wept through most of the proceeding and hid her face behind her hair.
Both women, clad in bright yellow remand centre jogging suits, were represented by different lawyers.
The details and evidence presented at the bail hearing were disturbing, but a publication ban prohibits anyone from broadcasting or publishing what was said, nor can anyone identify the names of the accused.
On Dec. 16, 2017, police were called by a babysitter who had been at the northeast Edmonton home.
All five children were taken to the Stollery Children’s Hospital for treatment. Three of the children were treated and released, while two were admitted with serious injuries, police said.
The five children, all under the age of 10, were found in “a shocking environment and physical state,” said Det. Aubrey Zalaski with the Edmonton Police Service Child Protection Section.
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The women have been in custody since their arrest.
One of the women’s lawyers, Ajaj Juneja, said his client deserved to be released on strict conditions.
“I think a lot of the allegations have been sensationalized.”
Juneja said those allegations have been taken out of context and given the nature of the allegations, his client has been in segregation; only allowed to leave her cell for an hour a day.
“She’s been subjected to numerous threats, she’s been traumatized, she’s been threatened by numerous inmates… She’s been locked up for 23 hours in a cage.”
Juneja expects it will be at least two years from the time his client was arrested to the time she goes to trail, suggesting the court is pushing the limits on the Jordan application timeline.
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A preliminary hearing for the co-accused has been set for Aug. 27, 2018.
If granted bail, Juneja said his client would be under “the strictest conditions imaginable.”
“They would be absolute and complete house arrest with electronic monitoring through a GPS system that would alert the authorities to any deviation or breach of her conditions.”
The judge will deliver her bail decision on Monday.