Ex-nun guilty of assault in spanking case

The Canadian Press/October 25, 2002

Charlottetown -- Lucille Poulin , the 78-year-old former nun who said God told her it was right to beat children, was told by a judge on Friday it was wrong.

Justice David Jenkins of the P.E.I. Supreme Court found Poulin guilty on all five counts of assaulting children in her care at a religious commune near Summerside, P.E.I.

Jenkins rejected Poulin's attempt to justify her actions under Canada's so-called spanking law which gives parents and caregivers the right to hit their children as long as the use of force is reasonable in the circumstances.

He said Poulin's frequent use of a heavy wooden stick to punish the children and drive out demons was excessive.

"She hit one or more of the children with the rod frequently, on a routine basis, she applied too much force and often too many strikes," he said, reading his verdict to a packed Charlottetown courtroom.

"She went beyond spanking to beating children."

Poulin, who is considered a prophet by a small group of followers still living at the commune, appeared crestfallen by the verdict, but said nothing either in the courtroom or outside to news reporters.

Dressed as always in a full, old-fashioned print dress with matching bonnet, a shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders and sporting a pair of mauve sneakers, the petite woman made her way to a waiting car surrounded by commune members.

She will be back in court on Nov. 7 when the judge will hear motions concerning sentencing.

Jenkins made it clear in court that Poulin's mental condition may have been a factor in her crime, although it was never raised as an issue by the defence.

The judge said that in his lay opinion, Poulin may be delusional.

"She believes that the children were imbued with the devil and that in hitting the children with the rod, she was acting on divine orders."

Poulin told the court during her testimony that she speaks directly to God, and he answers her and directs every aspect of her life, including beating the children.

"I know I will be with Jesus in glory," she said during the trial as she testified in her own defence. "I fear no judgment ... I am justified by faith."

On the way into court, Poulin and her followers, three women and one man, sang a hymn about Christ being wounded for man's transgressions and bruised for man's inequities.

They did not sing as they huddled together following the verdict, making their way from the courthouse as quickly as possible.

Poulin's lawyer, Zia Chishti, said she is taking the verdict "lightly."

"She's saying simply that whatever is the will of God, she will bear it."

Crown prosecutor Darrell Coombs said the judgment sends a clear message about the limits of tolerance for corporal punishment of children.

"The decision demonstrates clearly that the courts and the administration of justice in this province, and probably in all of Canada, will not tolerate criminal activity in the form of abuse against children no matter how it is masked or disguised, and that includes religion," Coombs said.

Ironically, the Supreme Court of Canada announced last week it will review Section 43, the spanking law, which has been on the books for more than a century.

The law, which gives teachers, parents and other caregivers the right to use physical force to discipline children, was challenged two years ago by the Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law.

The foundation says the spanking law violates the Charter of Rights.

Jenkins said he believed the testimony of the children and three former adult members of the commune who supported the children during the lengthy trial.

The judge said he did not accept the version of events as told by Poulin and her supporters, who minimized the beatings of the children.

Poulin said the wooden paddle was a rod of correction designed to keep the children on the straight and narrow path for heaven. She said she applied "good strokes" when she beat the children, but not enough to cause injury.

"I can't strike very hard," she said. "It was always given with love and compassion."

The children, who ranged in age from seven to 12 and have all been removed from the commune, painted a different story. They told the court of frequent beatings by a woman who seemed crazy with rage.

The commune believed in living apart from the outside world. The children were home schooled and forced to work long hours on the commune farm and in a restaurant run by the group.

"She really had us for her work slaves," one boy told the court during his testimony.

There's a publication ban on the names of the children.