Closing arguments set to begin in father’s manslaughter trial
Posted Apr 23, 2012 06:22:51 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Crown and defence will present closing arguments this week in the Supreme Court trial of a father accused of manslaughter in the death of his baby daughter.
Ashiqur Rahman, 26, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault in the death of his daughter Aurora Breakthrough.
The seven-week-old girl died in July 2009 after several days in the intensive care unit of the IWK.
Five days have been set aside for closing arguments.
The baby’s mother, Jane Gomes, testified in January that there five instances when Rahman had slapped and shaken, or otherwise acted inappropriately with their infant daughter while they were living together in their Gottingen Street apartment.
Gomes pleaded guilty last year to failing to provide the necessities of life for her child.
Rahman testified in his own defence and denied all accusations. He said he rarely held his daughter, fed her or changed her because that was the way his common-law spouse wanted it.
The Crown tried to highlight inconsistencies in Rahman’s testimony, while the defence raised doubts about the cause of the infant’s death.
Different medical reports and expert testimony suggested the baby either died of a heart attack due to a heart defect or because of child abuse which led to brain injuries.
Aurora Breakthrough was admitted to the IWK hospital July 23 and was pronounced dead July 27.
