Probation for father who threatened to kill five of his eight children in Niagara River

A man who threatened to drown five of his eight children by driving them into the Niagara River, and then held them captive inside a hotel, was described by his lawyer as a dedicated family man.

He does pride himself as a family man, he had a very close relationship with his children and he's deeply remorseful for the pain, suffering and trauma he caused his children," defence counsel Rebecca Meredith said in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines Monday.

The 37-year-old father of eight children appeared in court via Zoom from Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold for sentencing on several offences including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and uttering death threats.

His behaviour was nothing short of terrorizing to his wife and five very young children," Judge Donald Wolfe said.

The family is irretrievably broken."

The offender, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victims, was granted a suspended sentence - having spent the equivalent of 121 days in pretrial custody - and placed on probation for three years.

Court was told the defendant lives in a small town near Sarnia but often moved his large family from town to town.

Recently, he and his wife and five of their children, aged one to nine, had been staying at a motel on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls.

In early September, court was told, the man was driving near the Niagara River when he told his wife and children he was going to drown them all in the river.

The following day, he told his family, You're going to have your last breakfast and then I'm drowning you all."

He threatened to kill his wife in front of the children if she attempted to leave the hotel room, and forced the children to line up in front of a bed.

When police arrived, the father refused to leave the room. He told police he had killed two of his children and threatened to kill the others if they came any closer.

During the incident, court heard, one child was stomped" and the defendant held a screwdriver to his toddler's neck.

Police were able to intervene and arrest the defendant. The children did not sustain any serious injuries.

Court heard the man struggles with mental health issues and had grown increasingly paranoid prior to the incident.

The defendant apologized in court for his actions.

I know words mean a lot, but actions mean a lot more. I'm looking for redemption right now and I'm not planning on doing this again."

Alison Langley is a St. Catharines-based reporter for the Niagara Falls Review. Reach her via email: alison.langley@niagaradailies.com