Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
July 21, 2016 - 3:41 PM
KAMLOOPS - The Kamloops mother charged with murdering her hours-old son is no longer facing a second-degree murder charge.
Courtney Saul will now be facing a charge of infanticide with a maximum sentence of five years, compared to the mandatory life sentence that comes with second-degree murder.
Crown prosecutor Will Burrows says the murder charge will be formally stayed at a preliminary inquiry hearing next month.
Saul is charged in connection with the death of her infant son George Carlos Saul on Dec. 15, 2011.
Burrows has previously told the court the boy was less than a day old.
This is the second time Saul's charge has changed in the case. She was originally charged with infanticide, but it was upgraded to second-degree murder six months later.
Canada's criminal code states: Every female person who commits infanticide is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
Saul is expected to next appear in Kamloops court Aug. 16.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016