MOTHER SUES CAS

The Ottawa Citizen - September 23, 2000
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/city/000923/4565293.html
Mother, child sue Children's Aid
Gary Dimmock

A 10-year-old girl who was allegedly forced by her foster mother to live for months in a clothes dryer, coming out only at night to sneak scraps of food, is now suing her suspected abuser and the authorities who allegedly failed her.

The girl, now living with her biological mother, spent up to three weeks at a time over a four-month period in the basement dryer, police say, living in her own feces and urine.

Police allege also that the foster mother, Cathie Doyle, 38, duct-taped the girl, strapped her in a high chair for hours at a time, handcuffed her to a bed, and locked her in a broom closet, her neck chained to a railing above.

Ms. Doyle denies the allegations and is facing criminal charges of assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement, failing to provide the necessities of life and abandonment.

The young girl and her biological mother have now filed a $1.3-million lawsuit against the accused, the Children's Aid Society, and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

The statement of claims filed in Superior Court says the child was subjected to repeated assaults and batteries; falsely imprisoned; not provided with adequate food; not allowed to use the bathroom, causing her to urinate and defecate on her clothes; and placed in a scalding shower.

"I want people to know what happened to my girl. I want the truth to come out, and hopefully this will bring changes to the system that failed us," said the girl's birth mother, whose identity is protected by law.

The alleged abuse occurred between Jan. 1, 1996, and Dec. 31, 1997. Her alleged torment ended after the girl ran away from home twice in one week. The first time, she was returned to her foster mother; the second time, she was placed in foster care, where she remained for two years until being returned to her biological mother in December 1997.

The girl's birth mother has launched a Web site to tell the world her story. In her story, posted on maxpages.com/casfailedme, she portrays herself as a parent who in hard times trusted others to care for her daughter. "I'm not a perfect mom but I do love my child. I was stressed and didn't know what to do," the biological mother writes.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

In her time of alleged abuse, the girl missed several weeks of school. Still, she continued to live with her foster mother until December 1997.

In a 1995-1996 report card, Lynne McCarney, principal of Christie Public School, said it was impossible to fully assess the girl's progress.

According to school records, the principal wrote: "(The victim) has unfortunately missed a great deal of her final term at school. It has therefore been quite difficult to assess her progress fully."

The girl is now doing well in school. Last week, she was named student of the week.

Yesterday afternoon, she seemed to be like any regular girl, playing with dolls while watching a movie.

The girl's biological mother reported the allegations of abuse to police in April. Police have obtained taped statements from the alleged victim and an independent witness.

In recalling her alleged abuse in the presence of her birth mother last June, the girl told the Citizen, "I remember lots. You know those bike chains with the plastic on them. That would be around my neck and chained, and roped to the coat hanger thing in the closet. It was hard to sleep. Mostly, I would stay up all night because I knew I could choke.

"I would be locked in the dryer, with a rope put on the handle. But I could get out. Then the dryer was turned around the other way against the wall so I couldn't get out and steal chocolates or food. I wasn't fed a lot.

"I did a smart idea one day and ran away." Once outside, the girl asked a woman for help. "She helped me across the street. She asked if anyone had a phone and they called 911.

"They asked me where I lived but I told them a lie and said I didn't know because I didn't want to go back."

Ms. Doyle, a mother of three children, has been released from jail on several conditions, among them to stay clear of children's organizations.

Ms. Doyle denies the allegations. "It just didn't happen. How can I explain something that didn't happen?"

Ms. Doyle said the girl was a troubled child who threw wild temper tantrums. "She was a problem child and I tried my best. That girl had behavioural problems before she entered my home. She would do anything to get attention. She had moods; other times she had great days. But she had a lot of behavioural problems she couldn't control," Ms. Doyle told the Citizen.

The statement of claims says the child was subjected to severe physical and emotional abuse "which has resulted in ongoing emotional pain and suffering, the immediate and long-term effects of which have not yet been fully assessed."