Couple Denied Bail Following Elder Abuse Incident
In a serious case of elder abuse, a 68-year-old woman was neglected and forced to live in a garage by a Toronto couple. 43-yeaer-old Kwong Yan and 28-year-old Qi Tan were reportedly charged with failing to provide the necessities of life and criminal negligence causing bodily harm after they left the 68-year-old woman unattended in a garage. The woman was transported to a medical facility in life-threatening condition according to the CP24 report. The Toronto couple was denied bail in a court hearing where they appeared through video feed.
Police found the elderly woman in the non-insulated garage on the 23rd of February and she was found unconscious suffering from frostbite. As of the 1st of March the woman remained in critical condition. The woman was left malnourished without sufficient food and very little heat. She was given only a small bucket to wash herself with and a portable toilet. The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) is urging the federal government to incorporate elder abuse into criminal code and requesting more support for cases of elder abuse including a hotline to call and protocols for reporting cases as well.
Given the severity of this and many other elder abuse cases in the past, incorporating elder abuse into criminal law and providing access to more ways to report elder abuse is a good way to further efforts of stopping elder abuse altogether. Incorporating elder abuse into criminal code could bring about stiffer penalties for perpetrators of elder abuse and elder neglect. The couple will be facing another court appearance on the 15th of March in connection with this incident.
