An Old Order Mennonite woman who admitted to disciplining two young children with an electric cattle prod was sentenced in a Brandon courtroom Friday to three years supervised probation.

Louisa Bauman, 57, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a weapon.

The sentencing hearing shed new light on a case that saw the arrest last year of more than a dozen men and women and the seizure of dozens of children from a small southern Manitoba Old Order Mennonite community.

Court heard residents established the community just eight years ago after breaking from their home community in Ontario.

Old Order Mennonite communities are traditionally patriarchal, with ultimate authority residing in the hands of church leaders. Community members eschew modern technology, don't use electricity and drive a horse and buggy to get around.

Bauman's husband, Enos Bauman, holds no authority within the church but wields great authority in the community and is its de-facto leader, Crown attorney Nicole Roch told court.

A number of boys who had been living with the couple reported Enos Bauman had used a cattle prod on them as a disciplinary measure against masturbation.

"His influence was considerable, such that he in fact had control over most community matters, either directly or indirectly," Roch said.

Allegations of wrongdoing first came to light in the summer of 2012 when a hired labourer who had been living with the Baumans returned to Ontario and reported to the ministry he had been physically abused.

Manitoba police were alerted to the allegations and visited the couple's home. A number of boys who had been living with the couple reported Enos Bauman had used a cattle prod on them as a disciplinary measure against masturbation.

"The boys and their father believed the use of a stock prodder was effective and justified and was helping the boys with their troubles," Roch said.

In January 2013, a couple who had been ex-communicated from the community following allegations they had sexually abused their children contacted the Ontario ministry for help. The couple's children were living with the Baumans and the community was refusing to relinquish custody.

Police became involved and the children "did provide statements alleging sexual abuse by their parents but the statements were vague and lacking in detail," Roch said. Subsequent medical examinations proved their allegations were false.

"Some children lived in a shed, some weren't allowed indoors except to sleep because they were considered so deviant," Roch said.

Within two weeks most of the children recanted and details of abuse within the Baumans' home started to emerge.

"Children disclosed of being subjected to extreme physical abuse in the context of what was purported to be counselling," Roch said. "The purpose of this was to assist the children in remembering being sexually offended against by their parents."

Abuse included spanking and strapping and the withholding of food, sleep and privacy.

"Some children lived in a shed, some weren't allowed indoors except to sleep because they were considered so deviant," Roch said.

Enos Bauman introduced the use of the cattle prod as a disciplinary tool and it was adopted by other adults in the community to correct what they saw as "extreme misbehaviour on the part of the children," Roch said.

Louisa Bauman admitted to shocking a seven or eight-year-old girl after she soiled her clothing and shocking an 11-year-old girl at the dinner table.

"Both girls described being shocked by the cattle prod as being excruciatingly painful," Roch said.

Both victims told police Louisa treated them better when her husband wasn't present.

"People close to Louisa Bauman believe she is the victim of emotional abuse by her husband."

"People close to Louisa Bauman believe she is the victim of emotional abuse by her husband," Roch said. "They believe she would not have treated children the way she did if her marriage was a different one."

The laws and norms of the outside world played very little part in Louisa Bauman's upbringing, said Judge Donovan Dvorak.

"It's understandable why when she acted the way she did, under the direction of leaders of the community, and in particular her husband, she thought it was justifiable," Dvorak said. "On the other hand, that does not absolve her of responsibility ... The adoption of a cattle prod as a method of discipline is one of extreme abuse."

During the term of her probation, Louisa Bauman will be required to live with a brother in Ontario and have no unsupervised contact with children under 14.

Enos Bauman remains before the court facing several charges. He is considered innocent.

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @deanatwpgsun