The trial of Sherina Maria Handsor commenced in Edmonton on Monday, with the accused facing 18 charges related to the abuse of multiple children in her care across British Columbia and Alberta. The charges include administering noxious substances, failure to provide necessaries of life, unlawful confinement, bodily harm, and assault.
Escalating Abuse Described in Court
A former stepdaughter testified about increasingly degrading conditions and escalating torture as the family moved from Quesnel, B.C., to Fox Creek, B.C., and finally Whitecourt. The witness described unpredictable household rules, particularly regarding food.
“I feel I was always agitating her, she got increasingly violent over the years,” the witness stated. “Rules I kind of found out after I broke them. I felt like I was lost.”
“Grabbing a snack or an apple was considered stealing, and was controlled by abuse,” she added. “At least once a day I was being hit or my hair was being pulled or I was being screamed at for something.”
Forced to Eat Vomit
The witness recounted torturous mealtimes, including being forced to eat an oily pasta salad with pickles that no one else would eat. “It was oily, she made me eat a lot of it. She made me eat the vomit. When I went to the toilet, she threatened to scoop vomit out of the toilet and make me eat it,” she testified.
On another occasion, after being hungry for several days, she was forced to eat a bowl of beef. “I projectile vomited, and she told me she should make me eat my vomit,” the victim said.
Standing on Cups and Confinement
The witness described being forced to stand naked on upside-down plastic cups in a corner for hours, sometimes with shorts, but always with the fear that she might hide food in her clothes. “I’d be standing in a corner for many, many hours, standing on cups with books on my head,” she said.
Children were allegedly encouraged to put toys up her bottom while she stood naked in the corner, and she was told she did not have permission to swat them away. The basement bathroom was a frequent place for abuse, with a foam mattress on the floor, no pillow or blanket, and the door locked from the outside.
The trial continues this week in the Court of King's Bench before Justice J. Jugnauth, who is presiding without a jury. Multiple alleged victims are expected to testify.
