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Man found not guilty of assaulting young son

Jul 19, 2018 | 5:37 PM

A man has been found not guilty of assaulting his young son following a trial in Prince Albert court Thursday.

The man, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his son, was charged with assault stemming from an incident earlier this year. The man was alleged to have bitten and choked his then seven-year-old son while visiting a relative’s home. 

In her acquittal, Provincial Court Judge Felicia Daunt said evidence in the case was “fragile” and she would have liked to see photos of the alleged injuries to the child, and hear from others who were at the home at the time of the incident.

The young boy testified from a separate room Thursday, saying that he was sitting on his dad’s lap when he “bruised me,” and “grabbed me a little hard on my chest.” The boy said he was trying to get away before his grandfather told them to stop “roughhousing,” and a fight began. The boy said his dad got into an argument with his grandfather and he went downstairs crying.

The accused in the case did not dispute that an argument took place soon after he arrived at the home where a number of his relatives were gathered. He said the argument started when he was wrestling with his son and his father spotted a Mickey of alcohol in his jacket. The man said his father wanted him to leave, and admitting to drinking that evening, but denied hurting his son.

“I squeezed him and I gave him the kind of hug you give someone when you miss them,” he said.

The man testified that he is close with his son, but has not been able to see him for several months while the charge was before the court. He said his child’s mother had been angry with him because she asked for $500 for new skates and a helmet for the boy, an amount he thought was too much. He said the boy did complain about blisters on his toes and that his helmet was too small.

The man, now in a relationship with another woman, said his former common-law partner has threatened his new girlfriend and told him “I’ll get you one way or another.”

“This is out of hand,” he testified.

The boy’s mother testified Thursday that she picked the child up at the home around 10 p.m. the night of the incident. She said she called police after seeing redness and the start of bruising on her son’s chest and redness on his ear.

An officer with the Prince Albert Police Service testified that he looked into the assault allegation but the boy only told him about his father hugging him tightly. He said initially, there was not enough evidence to charge the boy’s father.

The officer said the man was charged after the boy’s mother brought him into the police station, where the video statement was taken.

 

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt