Article content

A mother who watched as a 15-year-old boy accused of sexually assaulting her three-year-old daughter at a home daycare had his criminal charges stayed because of court delays said she feels betrayed by Ontario’s justice system.

The little girl’s mother said a judge’s decision earlier this month to stay the charges based on new guidelines for delay handed down by the Supreme Court has even left her questioning whether they should have bothered coming forward at all.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'I just feel really let down': Mother of child in stayed sexual assault case Back to video

“It is sad to say that, but I almost feel like we would have better off if we hadn’t gone forward, because we wouldn’t have had to go through that hurt over and over and over,” the mother said Tuesday.

“It’s betrayal, it’s hurt, it’s disbelief. I just feel really let down,” said the mother of the girl, who can’t be named to protect her daughter’s identity. “It doesn’t give me any kind of faith in the justice system whatsoever.”

The mother was in the courtroom on Jan. 9 when Ontario Court Justice David Paciocco delivered his decision to stay sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and two other charges against the teen, whose identity is also covered by a publication ban.