A 46-year-old woman is facing a likely 12-year prison sentence after admitting to subjecting a young child in her care to four years of abuse, starvation and virtual imprisonment in her Arlington Street home.
Nicole Ginette Acoby pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault, criminal negligence causing bodily harm and failing to provide the necessities of life for offences beginning in August 2019 and ending in August 2023 when the 12-year-old victim fled the home and found help.
Acoby will return to court Nov. 13 for sentencing. Crown attorney Alanna Littman and defence lawyer Morgan Lawrence told court they will be jointly recommending Acoby be sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Acoby’s 23-year-old daughter Aleahyah Acoby-Roulette has been charged with the same offences, but has not entered any pleas and remains before the court.
Acoby has no biological relationship to the girl and had been acting as her guardian since she was two years of age.
According to an agreed statement of facts provided to court, Acoby assaulted the girl with her hands, metal bars, wooden planks and “predominantly” an extension cord. The assaults left her bruised and bloodied, and with fractures to her spine.
Acoby repeatedly withheld food from the girl for up to two days at a time, “forcing her to watch as (Acoby’s) biological children ate,” says the agreed statement of facts. “The victim suffered severe nutritional deficiencies requiring intravenous feeding in hospital for several weeks once she escaped the home.”
The agreed statement of facts does not indicate when or how the girl escaped.
In an interview with police, the girl said the assaults at some point were “taken over” by Acoby-Roulette, whose assaults allegedly included duct taping the girl to a workout bench or basement telepost
“Nicole Acoby was aware of further assaultive acts experienced by the victim at the hands of (Acoby-Roulette),” says the agreed statement of facts. “Nicole Acoby took no steps to interfere with these acts and took no steps to protect the victim from any position of danger.”
Acoby locked the girl in a bedroom and kept her from school. In the 2022-2023 school year, the girl was absent 100 of 193 school days.
“Nicole Acoby would tell the victim that she did not deserve to go to school due to her behaviour,” says the agreed statement of facts.
In the days prior to the girl escaping the home, Acoby forced her to wear a diaper as punishment for “not listening.”
A more detailed accounting of Acoby’s actions and their impact on the victim will be provided to court at sentencing.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
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