Guest guest Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling by Christopher Henderson, Assistant Editor 07/13/2006 Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly Joseph, left, and Silva Swinton will be resentenced on lesser charges, three years after being found guilty of assaulting their child through malnutrition. New York’s top court last week threw out the convictions of two Queens Village parents accused of starving their infant in 2002. As a result, Joseph and Silva Swinton will now be sentenced on a reduced charge of third degree assault, meaning the couple, originally sentenced to five years and six years in prison, respectively, could be free by the end of this month. In 2003, a Queens jury found the Swintons guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of their infant daughter, Ice, by allowing her to be malnourished to the point where the 16 month old weighed only 10 pounds. The couple fed the child a strict vegan diet free of any animal product including milk. They also refused to give the child prenatal or postnatal care, although she was born prematurely. But three Court of Appeals judges decided that the Swintons’ actions did not legally qualify as “depraved indifference,” the basis of the jury’s convictions. Although the Swintons could be freed after the re sentencing on July 18, it is not immediately clear when or if they would be reunited with Ice, now 6, and their son Ini, who was born after the Swintons’ arrest. The children have been living with relatives since the parents’ arrest. Neither Swinton was available for comment because they remain incarcirated. The phone number listed for the Swintons’ relatives has been temporarily disconnected. Silva Swinton’s attorney, Kevin Costello, said that Ice no longer suffers from the developmental delays that were evident at the time of her parents’ arrest. “(Silva’s) a good person. She truly loves her children,” he said. The Court of Appeals ruling only affects the Swintons’ criminal case. Queens County Family Court determines whether or not foster children may be returned to their birth parents. Due to the severe malnutrition, Ice suffered from developmental delays and was unable to walk or talk five months after an anonymous 911 call tipped off police and the Administration for Children’s Services to her condition. At the time, emergency room doctors at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park diagnosed the child with reduced muscle mass, brittle bones and no teeth. Her diet, which matched that of her mother, included ground nuts, freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea and flaxseed oil. Two years after achieving a successful verdict in the case, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown reacted with dismay to the appeals court ruling, stating that the decision, “leaves children virtually no protection against severe maltreatment.” “I find it difficult to understand how a parent’s depriving an infant of food and medical attention for over a year and ignoring her obvious suffering is insufficient to establish depraved indifference,” he said. Peter H All new Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Why couldn't the mother have fed her - she was only 16 months old. She would then have been alright with cereals, veg and fruit etc. Jo - peter VV Friday, July 14, 2006 9:30 PM Re: Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling by Christopher Henderson, Assistant Editor 07/13/2006 Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly Joseph, left, and Silva Swinton will be resentenced on lesser charges, three years after being found guilty of assaulting their child through malnutrition. New York’s top court last week threw out the convictions of two Queens Village parents accused of starving their infant in 2002. As a result, Joseph and Silva Swinton will now be sentenced on a reduced charge of third degree assault, meaning the couple, originally sentenced to five years and six years in prison, respectively, could be free by the end of this month. In 2003, a Queens jury found the Swintons guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of their infant daughter, Ice, by allowing her to be malnourished to the point where the 16 month old weighed only 10 pounds. The couple fed the child a strict vegan diet free of any animal product including milk. They also refused to give the child prenatal or postnatal care, although she was born prematurely. But three Court of Appeals judges decided that the Swintons’ actions did not legally qualify as “depraved indifference,” the basis of the jury’s convictions. Although the Swintons could be freed after the re sentencing on July 18, it is not immediately clear when or if they would be reunited with Ice, now 6, and their son Ini, who was born after the Swintons’ arrest. The children have been living with relatives since the parents’ arrest. Neither Swinton was available for comment because they remain incarcirated. The phone number listed for the Swintons’ relatives has been temporarily disconnected. Silva Swinton’s attorney, Kevin Costello, said that Ice no longer suffers from the developmental delays that were evident at the time of her parents’ arrest. “(Silva’s) a good person. She truly loves her children,” he said. The Court of Appeals ruling only affects the Swintons’ criminal case. Queens County Family Court determines whether or not foster children may be returned to their birth parents. Due to the severe malnutrition, Ice suffered from developmental delays and was unable to walk or talk five months after an anonymous 911 call tipped off police and the Administration for Children’s Services to her condition. At the time, emergency room doctors at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park diagnosed the child with reduced muscle mass, brittle bones and no teeth. Her diet, which matched that of her mother, included ground nuts, freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea and flaxseed oil. Two years after achieving a successful verdict in the case, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown reacted with dismay to the appeals court ruling, stating that the decision, “leaves children virtually no protection against severe maltreatment.” “I find it difficult to understand how a parent’s depriving an infant of food and medical attention for over a year and ignoring her obvious suffering is insufficient to establish depraved indifference,” he said. Peter H All new Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have heard of others raising their children vegan and their children didn't sound anything like that. I don't have children yet but has any of you raised your children vegan? If so I would love to hear your side of this article. - peter VV Friday, July 14, 2006 4:30 PM Re: Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling by Christopher Henderson, Assistant Editor 07/13/2006 Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly Joseph, left, and Silva Swinton will be resentenced on lesser charges, three years after being found guilty of assaulting their child through malnutrition. New York’s top court last week threw out the convictions of two Queens Village parents accused of starving their infant in 2002. As a result, Joseph and Silva Swinton will now be sentenced on a reduced charge of third degree assault, meaning the couple, originally sentenced to five years and six years in prison, respectively, could be free by the end of this month. In 2003, a Queens jury found the Swintons guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of their infant daughter, Ice, by allowing her to be malnourished to the point where the 16 month old weighed only 10 pounds. The couple fed the child a strict vegan diet free of any animal product including milk. They also refused to give the child prenatal or postnatal care, although she was born prematurely. But three Court of Appeals judges decided that the Swintons’ actions did not legally qualify as “depraved indifference,” the basis of the jury’s convictions. Although the Swintons could be freed after the re sentencing on July 18, it is not immediately clear when or if they would be reunited with Ice, now 6, and their son Ini, who was born after the Swintons’ arrest. The children have been living with relatives since the parents’ arrest. Neither Swinton was available for comment because they remain incarcirated. The phone number listed for the Swintons’ relatives has been temporarily disconnected. Silva Swinton’s attorney, Kevin Costello, said that Ice no longer suffers from the developmental delays that were evident at the time of her parents’ arrest. “(Silva’s) a good person. She truly loves her children,” he said. The Court of Appeals ruling only affects the Swintons’ criminal case. Queens County Family Court determines whether or not foster children may be returned to their birth parents. Due to the severe malnutrition, Ice suffered from developmental delays and was unable to walk or talk five months after an anonymous 911 call tipped off police and the Administration for Children’s Services to her condition. At the time, emergency room doctors at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park diagnosed the child with reduced muscle mass, brittle bones and no teeth. Her diet, which matched that of her mother, included ground nuts, freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea and flaxseed oil. Two years after achieving a successful verdict in the case, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown reacted with dismay to the appeals court ruling, stating that the decision, “leaves children virtually no protection against severe maltreatment.” “I find it difficult to understand how a parent’s depriving an infant of food and medical attention for over a year and ignoring her obvious suffering is insufficient to establish depraved indifference,” he said. Peter H All new Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Nah, my kids are vegetarian from birth, but not vegan, its a compromise I made with my wife.They are healthy 8 and 12 year old girls. The Valley Vegan................Tara Van Nostrand <et0ile13 wrote: I have heard of others raising their children vegan and their children didn't sound anything like that. I don't have children yet but has any of you raised your children vegan? If so I would love to hear your side of this article. - peter VV Friday, July 14, 2006 4:30 PM Re: Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling Vegan Parents Could Be Free After Ruling by Christopher Henderson, Assistant Editor 07/13/2006 Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly Joseph, left, and Silva Swinton will be resentenced on lesser charges, three years after being found guilty of assaulting their child through malnutrition. New York’s top court last week threw out the convictions of two Queens Village parents accused of starving their infant in 2002. As a result, Joseph and Silva Swinton will now be sentenced on a reduced charge of third degree assault, meaning the couple, originally sentenced to five years and six years in prison, respectively, could be free by the end of this month. In 2003, a Queens jury found the Swintons guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of their infant daughter, Ice, by allowing her to be malnourished to the point where the 16 month old weighed only 10 pounds. The couple fed the child a strict vegan diet free of any animal product including milk. They also refused to give the child prenatal or postnatal care, although she was born prematurely. But three Court of Appeals judges decided that the Swintons’ actions did not legally qualify as “depraved indifference,” the basis of the jury’s convictions. Although the Swintons could be freed after the re sentencing on July 18, it is not immediately clear when or if they would be reunited with Ice, now 6, and their son Ini, who was born after the Swintons’ arrest. The children have been living with relatives since the parents’ arrest. Neither Swinton was available for comment because they remain incarcirated. The phone number listed for the Swintons’ relatives has been temporarily disconnected. Silva Swinton’s attorney, Kevin Costello, said that Ice no longer suffers from the developmental delays that were evident at the time of her parents’ arrest. “(Silva’s) a good person. She truly loves her children,” he said. The Court of Appeals ruling only affects the Swintons’ criminal case. Queens County Family Court determines whether or not foster children may be returned to their birth parents. Due to the severe malnutrition, Ice suffered from developmental delays and was unable to walk or talk five months after an anonymous 911 call tipped off police and the Administration for Children’s Services to her condition. At the time, emergency room doctors at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park diagnosed the child with reduced muscle mass, brittle bones and no teeth. Her diet, which matched that of her mother, included ground nuts, freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea and flaxseed oil. Two years after achieving a successful verdict in the case, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown reacted with dismay to the appeals court ruling, stating that the decision, “leaves children virtually no protection against severe maltreatment.” “I find it difficult to understand how a parent’s depriving an infant of food and medical attention for over a year and ignoring her obvious suffering is insufficient to establish depraved indifference,” he said. Peter H All new Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine Peter H All New Mail – Tired of Vi@gr@! come-ons? Let our SpamGuard protect you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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