Don-Tay Patrick Lucas was failed by the child-protection company when he was returned to his mom’s residence, regardless of quite a few experiences that she and her associate have been partying each day, and youngsters might be heard screaming in the home, mentioned Patrick Lucas.
Article content material
A six-year-old Port Alberni boy killed by his mom and stepfather could be alive at the moment if USMA Nuu-chah-nulth Household and Baby Companies had acted on experiences from a involved neighbour, says the kid’s grieving father.
Don-Tay Patrick Lucas was failed by the child-protection company when he was returned to his mom’s residence, regardless of quite a few experiences that she and her associate have been partying each day, and youngsters might be heard screaming in the home, mentioned Patrick Lucas.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Article content material
The neighbour additionally referred to as the RCMP quite a few occasions, he mentioned.
“My boy shouldn’t have been there. They’d alcohol and medicines occurring within the residence,” mentioned Lucas. “However nothing was carried out about it.”
Don-Tay died on March 13, 2018 from blunt-force trauma accidents to the mind. His mom, Rykel Charleson, and stepfather, Mitchell Frank, pleaded responsible to manslaughter this week. The couple have been initially charged with first-degree homicide.
Workers on the boy’s college observed bruises on the boy, in accordance with an agreed assertion of information learn into the courtroom file. Lucas mentioned each Don-Tay and his sister advised a college counsellor they have been being hit and abused at residence however they weren’t believed.
“They mentioned they have been too younger and didn’t know what they have been speaking about. Nothing was carried out about that,” he mentioned.
Don-Tay was additionally failed by the authorized system, which “downgraded” the homicide cost to manslaughter, mentioned Lucas, including that he and his household are upset that the Crown didn’t proceed with the homicide cost.
“I met with Crown twice they usually mentioned: ‘It would save us six weeks of trial, possibly longer, and it received’t be a lot of a distinction in the event that they get charged with first-degree homicide or manslaughter,’ ” mentioned Lucas.
Dawn
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
The agreed assertion of information revealed in horrifying element how Don-Tay was brutalized by his mom and stepfather over 4 months.
The couple hit him, bit him, disadvantaged him of meals, water and sleep and made him hold from his knees from the highest of a door till he fell.
Lucas, 32, mentioned he and Charleson have been in a relationship for 9 years and still have two daughters. Don-Tay was born on Dec. 31, 2011 and was instantly faraway from their care within the hospital as a result of they have been each ingesting closely, he mentioned.
“We did every little thing we may to stop it from taking place but it surely was all processed and just about determined that he could be taken from us,” mentioned Lucas, who’s now sober.
Don-Tay was positioned in a foster residence in Port Alberni and did properly, mentioned his father.
Lucas and Charleson break up up round 2016. She met Frank whereas Lucas served a two-year jail sentence for home violence.
Lucas was dwelling in Victoria when Don-Tay was being transitioned again into his mom’s care from November 2017 to March 2018. He mentioned the final time he noticed his son was Dec. 17, 2017, three months earlier than he died.
Commercial 4
Article content material
“I had a hunch he was being mistreated. He was pale and closed off,” he mentioned.
Lucas mentioned he complained to his social employee that he was involved about his son. She left USMA after Don-Tay’s demise, he mentioned.
On Tuesday, Nuu-chah-nulth president Judith Sayers advised CHEK Information that there was no wrongdoing by USMA and that Don-Tay’s demise “was only a very tragic set of circumstances.”
Lucas, nonetheless, referred to as that “complete bull——.”
Sayers couldn’t be reached for remark.
An audit of USMA little one and household providers by the Ministry of Kids and Household Improvement was accomplished in January 2019, 9 months after Don-Tay’s demise.
The audit discovered that the company confronted excessive workers turnover and long-term workers vacancies, leading to increased caseloads and stress ranges.
The audit, which relies on 77 child-service data, revealed that USMA had solely 17 per cent compliance with its requirement to analyze alleged abuse or neglect in a family-care residence.
The audit additionally discovered USMA had solely 14 per cent compliance with growing a complete plan of look after its wards.
Extra troubling, the audit discovered USMA had just one per cent compliance with the requirement {that a} social employee go to the kid.
“Documentation of the social staff’ non-public contacts with youngsters/youth in care met the usual in 1 of the 77 data. Of the 76 data rated not achieved, 12 didn’t have confirmations that the kids and youth had visits of any type with their social staff,” mentioned the audit.
The report concludes that total compliance with little one service requirements was 56 per cent.
ldickson@timescolonist.com
Article content material