Prison sentence for former foster mother increased

Lily Choy, right, is shown walking into the courthouse with a unidentified woman on September 14, 2011.

The Alberta Court of Appeal has increased the prison sentence for a former foster mother, who was convicted of killing a toddler in her care.

According to court documents, Lily Choy is now facing a total of eight years behind bars.

The decision came after The Crown appealed her previous sentence of six years – a sentence that was handed down in 2011 – asking for twelve to sixteen years.

Choy was convicted of manslaughter for killing a 3-year-old boy in her care in 2007.

Paramedics were called to her home on January 26, 2007, where they found the child unconscious, wearing only underwear, in the main floor bathroom of Choy’s home.

According to officials, he had suffered a significant head injury, had bruising over much of his body, and his body temperature was well below normal – he was rushed to the Stollery Children’s Hospital where doctors were not able to save his life, his cause of death was later found to be cranial trauma.

During her trial, court heard the child suffered a fatal head injury – Choy testified that she had lost control of the little boy and his head had hit the toilet in a bathroom in her home.

However, expert medical evidence entered in the trial lead the judge to state in her original decision that the injuries the boy had suffered were caused over time, although it wasn’t clear how long.