Child abandonment dropped in casino case
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | 1:31 PM MT
CBC News
Firefighters found the boy in a van outside the Silver Dollar Casino in Calgary. (CBC)A man who left his toddler in a locked car outside a Calgary casino has had a charge of child abandonment against him withdrawn.
In March 2009, the man — who can't be named, in order to protect the child's identity — left his 21-month-old boy alone in the car in light pajamas outside of the Silver Dollar Casino in southeast Calgary.
The temperature outside was –9 C.
A casino patron heard a child crying shortly after midnight and called for help.
Firefighters got into the car and removed the child, who was covered in vomit.
The court heard Wednesday that the 52-year-old single father was a pathological gambler who had lost more than $2 million since moving to Canada 13 years ago.
He had already pleaded guilty to an offence under Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act.
He was given a year-long conditional sentence, including a ban on gambling in casinos or bingo halls, and has regained custody of his child.
The boy was uninjured in the incident.
Share Tools
Latest Calgary News Headlines
- Mother of murdered teen Brittney McInnes heartbroken
- The mother of 17-year-old Brittney McInnes told a packed Calgary courtroom during victim impact statements Wednesday she feels guilty for allowing the teen's stepfather and murderer, Bradley Rietze, into their lives. more »
- Gondolas for Calgary touted as cost effective
- Some city planners think gondolas should become the next alternative mode of transportation in Calgary. more »
- Views on citizenship vary across Canada, poll suggests
- A new poll on Canadian citizenship suggests people in different parts of Canada feel differently about what the most important factors are of being a good citizen. more »
- Semi-trailer wheels smash into home near Strathmore
- A family east of Calgary woke up to a bang when a set of wheels burst through their front door early Wednesday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- The Ontario government must curtail its spending with the kind of cuts not seen since the Mike Harris years, according to a report by former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
- Whitney Houston funeral to be livestreamed
- Whitney Houston's funeral will be livestreamed, to satisfy the desire of fans to grieve alongside family members at the Saturday memorial. more »
- Peace Bridge to open March 24, says city
- Driver charged in death of elderly pedestrian
- Truck, rifle found in connection to Killam RCMP shootings
- Young dog found with missing leg recovering
- Cory Bitternose dangerous offender hearing continues
- Heart-shaped cucumbers a hit for Alberta grower
- Online surveillance bill goes too far: Calgary professor
- Most Alberta voters plan to cast a ballot, poll shows
- Alberta's proposed Education Act targets schoolyard bullies
