Woman who joined mother in young girl’s brutal abuse, neglect should go to prison for nine years, Crown says

A Winnipeg woman, identified only as A.A.R., along with her mother, N.A., has been accused of subjecting a young girl to prolonged abuse and neglect that left the girl near death. A judge was advised on Monday that the 25-year-old accused should receive a nine-year prison sentence.

The crimes came to light after the then-12-year-old girl escaped from her home in August 2023, wearing only a diaper and duct tape on her arms. She was found by a neighbor in the area of Spruce Street and taken to child welfare authorities. The girl weighed only 46 pounds at the time of her escape.

The Crown agreed to recommend a maximum sentence of nine years for A.A.R., while her mother, N.A., received a 12-year prison sentence in 2024. The abuse began when the victim was two years old and was primarily carried out by A.A.R., with N.A. occasionally adding to the assaults. The assaults included being beaten with a metal bar, wood board, or electrical cord, being held stomach-down on a mattress, and being forced to watch others in the house eat while the girl was not provided food.

During a two-day period, the girl was given no food and only water to drink. She suffered cuts, bruises, and severe nutritional deficiencies, requiring intravenous feeding in the hospital for several weeks. N.A. also forced the girl to share a bedroom with A.A.R., making her sleep on a mattress and often locking her inside the room.

After the girl's escape, she recovered from her physical injuries and returned to school, where she is now doing well. A.A.R. will be sentenced later, following a court-ordered pre-sentence report on her background.