A second mother accused in the death of her severely malnourished 12-year-old foster son took the stand in her own defence this week, offering a starkly different narrative from the one presented by the Crown. Becky Hamber, 46, testified that she loved the boy and his younger brother and never intended to harm them, despite evidence detailing extreme methods of restraint used in the Burlington home.
"I Loved Them Both": Mother's Defence in Court
Becky Hamber and her wife, Brandy Cooney, 44, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the December 21, 2022 death of the older boy. They have also pleaded not guilty to charges of forcible confinement, assault, and failing to provide the necessaries of life for his younger brother. The boys, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, were placed with the couple in the fall of 2017 with the intention of adoption.
In her testimony at Milton Superior Court before Justice Clayton Conlan, Hamber presented a defiant and self-assured demeanor. "I loved them both. They were honestly amazing kids," she stated. She added a qualifier, saying, "Sometimes, they were hard to like."
Hamber admitted the boy, who was found unresponsive and soaking wet on his basement bedroom floor, had spent the last year of his life wearing a zip-tied wetsuit. She described the garment as a form of a "hug" and claimed it was for his protection, preventing him from ripping material to use for strangulation and curbing excessive masturbation. She insisted Halton Children's Aid Society workers were aware of its use.
When asked by her lawyer, Monte MacGregor, if the wetsuit was used for punishment, Hamber replied, "No, we did not."
Details of Restraint: Tents, Locks, and Hockey Helmets
The court heard detailed accounts of the restraint methods employed in the home. Hamber testified that she and Cooney removed furniture from the older boy's bedroom and confined him at night inside a zip-tied tent to prevent damage during tantrums. She claimed the brothers' destructive behaviour—including pulling mirrors off walls and urinating and defecating throughout the house—had cost the couple "tens of thousands of dollars."
In a contradictory statement, Hamber then suggested the tents were for the children's comfort and security. "The tents were utilized for a reduction of nightmares and night terrors—we felt we were making the room less big and scary overnight," she explained.
She acknowledged that after finding the boys gorging on food and vandalizing items overnight, the mothers began locking the tents for "safety." Hamber claimed this practice did not last "very long" and stopped after a CAS worker warned it was a fire hazard. However, locks were subsequently placed on the outside of the boys' bedroom doors.
"We were out of options to keep the children safe," Hamber told the court, describing failed attempts with door alarms and baby gates. She admitted the homeschooled children were sometimes locked in their rooms during the day but attempted to frame it positively, noting they had walkie-talkies for communication.
The couple also began using hockey helmets on the boys from 2019 onward. "It was a truly horrendous sound when your child’s head makes contact with a surface," Hamber said, explaining the helmets were for protection during head-banging episodes. The helmet cages were zip-tied shut because, she alleged, the boys tried to pull out their own teeth. Again, she stated CAS workers would have known about this practice.
Claims of Overwhelm and a Pointed Question from the Judge
Throughout her testimony, Hamber portrayed herself and her wife as overwhelmed, burned-out caregivers who constantly considered surrendering the boys back to the system if they couldn't secure more support services. This narrative led to a pointed question from Justice Conlan: "And why did you not return them?"
Hamber's response was, "Well, we loved our kids. We didn’t believe in giving up on them."
The surviving brother, now 13, has previously testified, describing a "house of torture" where his sibling was singled out for abuse. The boy was found emaciated, weighing what would be typical for a child half his age.
Hamber's cross-examination by the Crown is scheduled to begin. The trial continues as the court weighs the mother's claims of loving protection against the Crown's allegations of systematic abuse and murder.
