Mother who allegedly abandoned Montreal girl charged with criminal negligence

The mother of a three-year-old Montreal girl — who had been missing for more than 72 hours last month, before being found alive on June 18 along a highway near Ottawa — is now charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, in addition to unlawful abandonment of a child.

The new charge came as the 34-year-old was back in a Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courtroom on Thursday for a bail hearing.

The Crown also said that it is “not impossible” that the accused will face more charges in the future.

“But for now, we’ve received a large amount of evidence and I think we have what we need,” said Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel.

The maximum sentence for criminal negligence is ten years.

The mother was initially charged with unlawful abandonment of a child on June 16, a day after the little girl had been last seen. She is facing a maximum sentence of five years if convicted of that charge.

The bail hearing took place on Thursday morning and opened with the testimony of a Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officer.

A publication ban prevents the identification of the child and mother publicly. It also means none of the evidence presented in court can be reported on.

“It’s an obligation for the judge under Section 517,” Prévost-Gravel said about the ban, “to be sure that she have a fair trial.”

The mother was visibly upset and overwhelmed while listening to the officer’s testimony. She audibly broke down when the officer spoke about some of the evidence, and doubled over in tears before being passed a box of tissues.

The mother was handcuffed, wearing a white shirt, her hair tied back in a braid – appearing distraught for much of the hearing. She sometimes frowned and looked confused at times.

After more than two weeks behind bars, the accused is seeking to be released pending trial. The Crown opposes this request on the basis that the accused may “cause another infraction or (infringe on) the administration of the justice,” said Prévost-Gravel.

Olivier Béliveau is the defence lawyer for the accused while judge Bertrand St-Arnaud is presiding over this case.

The SQ began their search for the girl after the accused appeared in a confused state at a business in Coteau-du-Lac, Montérégie, saying that she had lost her daughter on June 15.

After an intense police search, the girl was found three days later near a ditch along Highway 417 in Ontario near the exit to the town of St. Albert after being spotted by an Ontario Provincial Police drone.