Calgary parents sentenced to 6 years in prison for boy's scalding death
Sonya Pasqua and Michael Sinclair pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the death of Gabriel Sinclair-Pasqua.
The 18-month-old died in October 2021 from an infection and head trauma. He had major burns to a third of his body and was emaciated.
An agreed statement of facts said the parents didn't seek medical treatment after the toddler was scalded with boiling water and his burns were treated with honey.
A pediatric surgeon testified the burns would have required emergency medical care and immediate hospitalization.
Prosecutor Vicki Faulkner told a sentencing hearing back in May that the couple saw their son as a paycheque.
Story continues below advertisement
At that time, the Crown was calling for an eight-year prison sentence.
Court previously heard a text exchange between the parents that discussed how Gabriel needed to heal 'cause we still need him as a paycheque.'
1:58
Judge deliberates sentence for parents of 18-month-old Gabirel Pasqua-Sinclair
'This was not a case of a spontaneous lashing out causing the death of Gabriel. This was not a case of parents who believed in alternative medicine and who loved and cared for the child,' Faulkner told the hearing two months ago.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'They witnessed the pain he was in. They cared only for themselves.'
Faulkner said the parents made the boy suffer.
'The harm and the pain of extreme burns to 33 per cent of his body for, at the very least, a week – how long he suffered is unknown, as selfishly both accused told conflicting stories to police.'
Story continues below advertisement
The boy was taken by Child and Family Services as a newborn, after his mother tested positive for cocaine, alcohol and marijuana, and he was placed in the care of a great-uncle and aunt in Taber.
View image in full screen
Alice Finley holds her great nephew Gabriel Pasqua, in an undated photo. Supplied
He was returned to his parents in Calgary just months before he died.
On Oct. 5, 2021, EMS were called to a home in the 2800 block of 14 Avenue S.E. for reports of an 18-month-old boy in medical distress.
Emergency responders found Gabriel unresponsive and despite their best efforts, the toddler was declared dead on scene.
Story continues below advertisement
— More to come…
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Crime ring exchanged stolen baby formula for drugs in Mississauga, Ont.: police
Police say 11 people face charges after an investigation into drug trafficking in Mississauga, Ont., that allegedly involved exchanging stolen baby formula and other products for drugs. Peel Regional Police say the four-month investigation, dubbed Project Bengal, revealed an organized crime group responsible for trafficking of drugs and thefts from retail businesses in the city's Meadowvale area. Investigators say suspects were allegedly stealing high-demand baby products, including formula and vitamins, to exchange them for drugs. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Police say they used security footage and other investigative techniques to identify key suspects and two properties used for storing stolen products and to consume drugs. They say officers seized over half a kilogram of cocaine and a variety of other illicit drugs, along with a significant amount of stolen items and proceeds of crime. Police say about $30,000 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered and returned. Story continues below advertisement They say 11 people have been arrested and charged with offences related to drugs and stolen property. Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said officers were able to make the arrests thanks to help from community members. 'Complaints from the community, combined with increased police presence by our 11 Division Community Incident Response Team (CIRT), enabled the dismantling of an organized crime group targeting commercial retail businesses and trafficking drugs,' he said in a statement. 'This investigation demonstrates the power of collaboration, and the vital role community trust plays in keeping our neighbourhoods safe.'
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Wife of terror group ‘member' backed by public safety minister does not live in his riding: documents
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's claim that he was helping a constituent when he lobbied federal officials to let a terrorist group 'member' resettle in Canada is contradicted by documents on the case, a Global News investigation has found. In defending letters he wrote before he joined cabinet that urged border security officials to approve the immigration application of a suspected member of the Tamil Tigers, Anandasangaree has said he assisted the man's Canadian wife as an MP. 'That a constituent, a Canadian citizen, with a Canadian child, would want to reunite her family in Canada is not unusual,' Anandasangaree said in a July 14 statement explaining the letters he penned in 2016 and 2023. 'MPs from all parties provide letters of support for constituents as a routine matter,' he said. Last week, he added that he was only 'executing my duties as a Member of Parliament, one that I believe constituents expect me to do.' Story continues below advertisement But court records and interviews indicate the woman is not Anandasangaree's constituent. Rather, she is a longtime resident of Markham, Ont. — which is outside his Scarborough-Guildwood-Rouge Park riding. Her immigration records, tax returns and commercial receipts each list a Markham home address, and two additional letters of support she gave immigration officers were from a city councillor and MPP — both in Markham. Reached by phone, she declined to answer questions and referred a reporter to her lawyer, who confirmed the woman had resided in Markham since at least 2016 and could not recall ever living in Anandasangaree's riding. The revelations have raised new questions for Anandasangaree, who became Minister of Public Safety in May, and promptly recused himself from making national security decisions related to the Tamil Tigers. When Global News first reported on Anandasangaree's support letters, Prime Minister Mark Carney said his appointee to oversee Canada's national security agencies had been 'transparent about the details of that situation and he has my confidence.' The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the evidence suggesting the man's wife was not actually Anandasangaree's constituent. The minister's office released a statement on Monday that portrayed his earlier statement as lacking clarity. 'It is not uncommon for MPs to assist Canadian citizens that are out of their riding, especially if the local MP is unable to assist due to their role in cabinet, as was the case in this situation,' the statement said. Story continues below advertisement 'It is also important to note that this particular applicant's family was introduced by a known constituent of Scarborough-Rouge Park. This should have been made clearer in the minister's statement of July 14, 2025.' 3:13 Letters reveal public safety minister's support of suspected terror group 'member' Support letters for terror group 'member' Earlier this month, Global News reported that before joining cabinet, Anandasangaree wrote two letters asking the Canada Border Services Agency to grant permanent residence to Senthuran Selvakumaran. Story continues below advertisement The Sri Lanka man married a Toronto-area woman in the United Kingdom in 2005 after British immigration officials rejected his asylum claim. She then applied to bring her husband to Canada, but border officials have repeatedly rejected him on the grounds he was a self-admitted paid member of the Tamil Tigers. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, the group committed scores of assassinations and bombings during Sri Lanka's civil war, and raised millions in Toronto, partly through extortion, before landing on Canada's list of terrorist organizations in 2006. 'In truth, I have helped the LTTE not only because I wanted to help them, I also got payment for it,' Selvakumaran wrote in an asylum claim. After telling immigration officers in Britain, and then Canada, that he had worked for the Tigers for seven years, Selvakumaran changed his story and insisted he had lied about his involvement because of bad legal advice. But the CBSA still had doubts and rejected him. Writing on his House of Commons letterhead, Anandasangaree then asked the CBSA to reverse that decision, adding that 'as a Member of Parliament' he had met and counselled Selvakumaran's wife Nilushie Senthuran. 'Providing guidance, advocacy, or support letters in support of Canadians is a standard responsibility of Members of Parliament across all parties. It is part of an MP's duty to assist, in accordance with federal rules, Canadian citizens seeking to reunite with their families,' the minister's latest statement said. Story continues below advertisement Anandasangaree's last letter to immigration officials on the matter was dated July 18, 2023. He was Parliamentary Secretary of Justice at the time and joined cabinet on July 26, 2023. The Office of the Ethics Commissioner said parliamentary secretaries were permitted to work as MPs 'for their constituents,' but declined to comment further. 'At this time, we're choosing not to make further statements.' Last year, the CBSA president recommended that, regardless of Anandasangaree's request, Selvakumaran should not get permanent residence because he was a terrorist group member. Selvakumaran appealed that decision to the court and used Anandasangaree's endorsement as evidence against the government. In a court document, Selvakumaran's lawyer, Lorne Waldman, described Anandasangaree as the wife's MP — a claim that was repeated in the judge's ruling on the case. But the lawyer acknowledged last week that was a mistake. 'While it is correct that we, as Mrs. Senthuran's legal counsel, mistakenly stated that Mrs. Senthuran was a constituent of MP Anandasangaree, that was an error on our part,' Waldman said. He noted that neither of Anandasangaree's letters said she was a constituent. 'A referral between MP Anandasangaree and Mrs. Senthuran was made through a constituent,' Waldman said. 'After MP Anandasangaree and his staff met with Mrs. Senthuran and reviewed her extensive documentation, he agreed to support her husband's application.' Story continues below advertisement He said it was a regular practice for Members of Parliament to write letters of support, and there was 'nothing improper or irregular' about Anandasangaree writing such a letter after meeting her. But in his response to questions from Global News asking why he wrote letters asking the CBSA to give permanent residence to a foreign national who had been deemed a terrorist group member, Anandasangaree called her a 'constituent.' 2:10 Cabinet minister under scrutiny over letters supporting terror group 'member' The Markham councillor and the MPP None of residential addresses in the wife's applications to sponsor her husband to immigrate are not part of Anandasagaree's Toronto riding, according to the Elections Canada website. Story continues below advertisement 'Nilushie has been a resident of Markham since the time she came to Canada in September 2002,' Juanita Nathan, then a Markham city councillor, wrote in a July 10, 2023 letter supporting Selvakumaran's bid to immigrate. Now the Liberal MP for the Pickering-Brooklin riding east of Toronto, Nathan told Global News her letter was incorrect and the woman had only actually lived in Markham since 2007. She wrote the letter as part of her previous municipal duties, 'which is a common practice among elected officials when assisting residents navigating immigration processes,' she added. 'The letter was based on humanitarian grounds and was not an endorsement of any individual's past affiliations. My commitment has always been to support families in our community within the bounds of Canadian law and procedures.' The Ontario provincial Conservative MPP for Markham-Thornhill, Logan Kanapathi, also wrote a support letter dated July 10, 2023. It identified the woman's address in Markham. The home has been owned by her sister since 2007, according to property records. Kanapathi did not respond to emails requesting comment. 2:12 Carney says he still has confidence in public safety minister Court sides with CBSA The letters Anandasangaree wrote when he was a backbencher and parliamentary secretary in Justin Trudeau's government resurfaced in court two months after Carney named him public safety minister on May 13. Story continues below advertisement The appointment has put the former lawyer and Canadian Tamil Congress activist in charge of Canada's counter-terrorism and border security institutions, including the RCMP and CBSA. In the public safety portfolio, he has been tasked with seeing through legislation to strengthen Canada's borders and appease U.S. President Donald Trump amid a chaotic White House trade war. Last month, Anandasangaree recused himself from decisions related to the Tamil Tigers and its Canadian front, the World Tamil Movement, which are both listed terrorist groups. He also said that when he joined the federal cabinet, he instructed his staff to no longer provide letters of support, and as a minister he would not make decisions 'on any matter wherein I advocated for a constituent.'
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Police charge driver after dramatic, armed chase in downtown Toronto
A man has been charged after a viral video, which appears to show him driving away from a large group of police officers telling him to stop at gunpoint, before hitting several other vehicles and ultimately being arrested. Toronto police said it was around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday when they were called to King and Portland streets for reports of someone with a gun. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the vehicle and, police say, they ordered the driver to turn it off. Video footage posted online appears to show multiple Toronto officers pointing firearms into the vehicle, which is idling in the middle of the road. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Instead of turning it off, however, police said the driver reversed, hitting a scooter and another car. He then turned, drove into an alleyway and hit another parked car. Story continues below advertisement Alishba Zarmeen's Tesla was one of the vehicles allegedly hit by the driver. She said it is going to need a lot of repairs. 'The indicator lights, the headlights, the bumpers, the panels,' she said, listing off the issues after the incident. The video then shows officers sprinting to follow the vehicle, while other police riding bicycles rush to corner it. The 27-year-old driver was arrested at the scene. He has been charged with failure to stop for police and dangerous operation. Zarmeen praised the police for how they handled the situation. 'They did the right thing, nobody got hurt, the guy got arrested — all things considered, great outcome of everything,' she said. Juliana Barcos, who lives in the area, said the dramatic video was indicative of the area. 'Not surprised,' they said, adding it was 'crazy down here.'
