OTTAWA — A boy who was severely abused at the hands of his father, a now-suspended RCMP counterterrorism officer, says he still needs help getting over the torture he faced and expects to live with the physical and emotional scars for the rest of his life.
The teen, who cannot be identified under a publication ban, spoke today in a recorded statement played as his stepmother faced a sentencing hearing for her role in his abuse.
Now 14 years old, the boy told a court the marks on his body are a constant reminder of what happened to him.
In a victim impact statement recorded Dec. 16, the boy describes how he struggles with anger issues and feels withdrawn when people ask him about his scars.
A judge last month found the father guilty of torturing and starving the boy by chaining him in the basement of the family home.
The boy's stepmother was found guilty of assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
The Crown has asked that she receive a "fit and just" sentence, saying she actively withheld food and care from the boy.
But the women's lawyer argued for a sentence of one year and nine months, with credit given for time already served, plus 12 month's probation, calling her client a "passive offender."