A Montreal mother of a three-year-old girl, who was discovered safe after being left alone in an Ontario field, has been deemed not criminally responsible for the incident.
In a recent ruling by Quebec court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud, the 34-year-old woman was found to be not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder, absolving her of charges related to criminal negligence and child abandonment.
Both the prosecution and the defense reached a consensus on the case’s key details, acknowledging the woman’s mental health condition as a critical factor that should prevent her from facing criminal conviction.
Judge St-Arnaud based his decision on a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation of the accused, which determined that she should be exempt from criminal responsibility.
Following a rigorous three-day search operation, authorities located the girl alive and conscious on June 18, thanks to the efforts of Ontario Provincial Police officers near Casselman, Ont., approximately 120 kilometers west of Montreal.