A school teacher testifying in court Wednesday described the harrowing scene when one of her Grade 2 students began to strangle himself with a piece of carpet 鈥 to the point that his face turned purple.
鈥淚 was terrified for him. I actually thought he wanted to kill himself,鈥 Sara Biasetti told the ongoing trial of Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, the prospective parents of the boy and the older brother聽they鈥檙e accused of murdering.
But when Biasetti called the Children鈥檚 Aid Society of Halton to report the choking incident in November 2019 鈥 one of four times she contacted the agency with her concerns about the Indigenous boys 鈥 she said she was told by a caseworker that 鈥渋t鈥檚 too political and that they need more evidence and more people to report.鈥
The oldest boy was 12 when he was found emaciated and soaking wet on the floor of a tiny basement bedroom of the Cooney and Hamber鈥檚 Burlington bungalow on Dec. 21, 2022. He died that evening; the prosecution alleges the couple had left him to die.听
Cooney and Hamber have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and also not guilty to forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessaries of life in relation to his younger brother 鈥 Biasetti鈥檚 pupil.
A publication ban protects the identities of both boys.
The younger brother was in Biasetti鈥檚 class at a Catholic elementary school in Burlington in September 2019, when he was age seven, turning eight. He was a 鈥渧ery bright鈥 pupil who excelled at reading, math, and 鈥渨anted to help other students,鈥 she said. (Prosecutors intend to call the boy to testify at this judge-alone trial being held in Milton.)
The defence at a murder trial is arguing that Children鈥檚 Aid failed to warn Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber about their prospective sons鈥 histories.
The defence at a murder trial is arguing that Children鈥檚 Aid failed to warn Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber about their prospective sons鈥 histories.
But after a 鈥渉oneymoon phase鈥 at the start of the school year, things 鈥渟tarted happening,鈥 she told the court. The boy repeatedly said 鈥渉e wanted to die,鈥 stabbed himself with a pencil and yelled at a student who cried. He was also prone to head-banging and swinging on chairs, and on one occasion, he took a pair of scissors and pointed the blades at his neck. Another time, he hit Biasetti in the stomach when she was pregnant and threatened her unborn child.听She wasn鈥檛 hurt, 鈥渂ut it made me worried,鈥 she testified.
During the boy鈥檚 outbursts, Biasetti would 鈥渃lear鈥 her classroom to 鈥渒eep everyone safe.鈥
As the year wore on, the incidents escalated, and Biasetti grew alarmed by what she was hearing about the boy鈥檚 home life. He had told her his older brother had been locked in the basement. And she was appalled that the brothers were coming to school with mouldy lunch meat.
鈥淚 called CAS again, concerned that they鈥檙e being sent to school with disgusting lunches,鈥 she said. She also informed a caseworker that her student told her that when he went home, his moms 鈥済ave him five more slices of the same meat and locked him in his room all night.鈥
After Christmas 2020, the boys didn鈥檛 return to school. Biasetti learned that the moms planned to homeschool the boys. She called Children鈥檚 Aid a fourth time after seeing a cellphone video of the youngest boy wearing a pyjama onesie closed up tight with a zip tie. (The prosecution has alleged Hamber and Cooney鈥檚 use of zip ties caused injuries to the boys and was part of 鈥渢he level of control that these women exerted,鈥 over the two children.)
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Kim Edward asked Biasetti about her conversation with the caseworker who told her the situation was 鈥渢oo political.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 an extraordinary statement,鈥 said Edward, 鈥渓ike you were somehow mandated by CAS to get as much evidence to help them build their case.鈥
The teacher agreed. She added that she was 鈥渕ad鈥 when her call to the Halton CAS didn鈥檛 result in any action. (The boys were Crown wards of The Children鈥檚 Aid Society of Ottawa, where they lived with a previous foster family. A Halton Children鈥檚 Aid adoption supervisor became involved when they were placed with Hamber and Cooney in 2017.)
Biasetti also agreed with Edward, who represents Cooney, that the couple 鈥渞einforced they weren鈥檛 properly trauma trained,鈥 while also acknowledging they were known around the school as the 鈥渃razy moms鈥 for their demands.
The defence lawyer ended her questioning with an observation. While Biasetti only ever witnessed the youngest boy鈥檚 behaviour during school, 鈥渢hese moms had them the rest of the time, 24-7.鈥
Soon after the couple鈥檚 arrest in 2024, Halton Children鈥檚 Aid said in a statement that it was 鈥渁bsolutely committed to learning everything we can about what happened in this case.鈥
It continued: 鈥淲e want to reiterate that our priority is always the safety and well-being of the children in our care, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that they are protected and supported.鈥
The trial continues on Thursday in front of Justice Clayton Conlan.
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