Canadian Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress

Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress
Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Monday, June 23
WINNIPEG - A Canadian soldier was suffering from a serious mental disorder caused by several factors - including his time spent in Afghanistan - when he repeatedly assaulted his six-month-old triplet sons, a Winnipeg court heard Monday.

Psychologist David Kolton submitted a 21-page report to the court providing a detailed look into the mind of the 25-year-old father, who has pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.

Provincial court Judge Marvin Garfinkel is expected to sentence the man Tuesday afternoon. He is seeking time served - nine months - plus probation, while the Crown wants him to serve an additional 18 months behind bars.


Defence lawyer Rod Brecht told the court Monday his client didn't intend to inflict pain on his baby boys and was actually stunned to see the extent of their injuries.

The tiny victims were suffering from a total of 19 broken bones when they were taken to hospital last September. They have since recovered.

The father - a Winnipeg-based soldier who can't be named to protect the children's identities - was already dealing with a number of difficult personal issues when he joined the military in 2001, including being abandoned by his own father at a young age, court was told.

He was deployed to Kandahar in 2006 for a 3 1/2-month tour and came back a much different person, said Kolton, psychologist.

The soldier's job was to load equipment on to military planes and trucks and he became extremely frustrated by the lack of front-line action he saw.

That resulted in various run-ins with authority during which his explosive temper quickly took over.

"I wanted to get out there and do something. I knew many of the infantry . . . I could see it in their eyes that they expected more from me. I felt helpless," he told Kolton.

He also got into trouble during a sidetrip to Budapest in which he claims to have been drugged in a bar, beaten and robbed.
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