Ex-Memramcook daycare owner's assault trial leaves mothers in tears
Court hears from parents on Day 2 of Celine Lang's trial on charges of assaulting 12 children, employee
A mother was in tears as she testified Tuesday about the changes in behaviour she noticed in her two-year old daughter as she was attending the Couvée de la Vallée daycare in Memramcook in 2014.
Celine Lang, 58, is on trial in Moncton's Court of Queen's Bench on 14 charges, including charges of assault against 12 children at her daycare, Couvée de la Vallée. She is also charged with assault and assault with a weapon — a flower pot — against an employee.
The mother said her daughter started developing anxiety, having trouble sleeping and even showing aggressive behaviour at home.
The mother testified that one day she saw her daughter playing with her dolls, pushing them aggressively, imitating what Lang is alleged to have done to get children to sleep when they were restless.
I just knew intuitively as a mother, that something wasn't right.- A mother's testimony
She recalled even hearing the daughter scream "Dodo, dodo," which is what witnesses said Lang screamed as she allegedly pushed children's heads against the ground.
The mother said she thought it was odd her daughter would scream the words in French, because they spoke English at home.
"I just knew intuitively as a mother, that something wasn't right," testified the mother.
A court order prohibits publication of any information that would identify the children involved in the case, including the name of their parents.
Bite marks
The mother said she eventually saw bite marks on her child's forearm, and a cut under her nose.
She said she confronted Lang about it, who told the mother her child had been biting other children, and allegedly recommended biting the child as a parenting technique to discipline them when they showed this behaviour.
The testimony attracted members of the public Tuesday, and many found it difficult to listen, with some shedding tears as they heard the testimony.
Another mother was also in tears as she testified about finding several bruises on her two-year-old son's arms, face and eyes in 2014.
"There are things a child should never have to go through," said the woman.
Two parents described to the court how their children developed a phobia of daycare, often crying, begging parents not to make them go.
Former employee testifies
Testimony was also difficult for former daycare employee Josée Delarosbil, whose credibility was called into question by Lang's defence lawyer Hazen Brien during cross-examination.
Brien grilled Delarosbil with questions about why she never mentioned any of the alleged abuse incidents to one of the mothers, whom she had been in contact with on Facebook over the course of eight months.
Things got so intense that court had to go on break in the middle of cross-examination, when Delarosbil said in tears she didn't want to answer any more questions.
When court resumed, Delarosbil testified she had been reluctant to speak up about the alleged abuse at the time because she was scared of how Lang would react, until one day, when she said she'd had enough and called police.
The offences are all alleged to have occurred between July and September of 2014.