A mother of two children accused of beating her newborn daughter in 2009 has been returned to custody after failing to show up for her trial in June.
Shannon Deschamps, 36, was arrested on Nov. 29, 2009, by Red Deer City RCMP called to investigate reports of an injured baby at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
Represented by Red Deer lawyer Patty MacNaughton, Deschamps pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated assault and asked to be tried by judge alone in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench.
A trial was set before Justice Monica Bast during the week of June 10, but collapsed when the accused woman, who lives in Hobbema, did not show up.
Deschamps was arrested in Edmonton earlier this week and brought into court on Friday, wearing shackles on her legs.
Advised that her lawyer had withdrawn from her case, she asked for an immediate bail hearing in hope that she could be released from custody.
However, she accepted the advice of Justice Craig Jones and duty counsel Mark Gottlieb, who said her chances for a successful hearing would be better if she had a lawyer’s help.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Deschamps agreed to adjourn the bail hearing until next week.
She is scheduled to return on Thursday.