Soldier accused of trying to murder his baby

by **Replica** Sun 16 Dec 2018, 6:07 pm

Published:
December 16, 2018

BARRIE – A Base Borden soldier has been accused of trying to kill his five-month old baby.

Pte. Austin Gignac is charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of failing to provide the necessities of life for baby Anastasia.

Gignac was training as a weapons technician in the Canadian Armed Forces. On paternity leave at the time of the alleged offences, he lived on the base with his wife and two children.

He was arrested Nov. 29 and released on bail the following day.

Soldier accused of trying to murder his baby Soldier-e1544990084781

Standing in the prisoner’s box before his release, Gignac appeared distraught. His wife sat in the front row of the court and appeared to be supportive of her husband. There is a ban on publication on all of the evidence heard at the bail hearing.

Military police say no media release was issued in order to protect the identity of the baby.

“We are always on the side of the victim,” said Maj. Jean-Mac Mercier, a military police spokesman. “The decision to go public is dependent on if other members of the public are at any risk. This was an infant connected to the family … so we are prone toward preserving the identity of the victim.”

He could not confirm if the baby is still in hospital, adding “I am hoping the baby is OK now.”

In a separate interview, another Canadian Armed Forces spokesman was unable to say if Gignac will continue on as a soldier.

“When an incident calls into question a member’s suitability for service in the armed forces, an administrative review is conducted,” Keirstead said. “Which could have significant career consequences, up to and including release from the Canadian Armed Forces.”

According to his bail conditions, Gignac must live with his sureties and have no contact with his baby, or a second child that lived with he and his wife. He is not allowed to be alone with any children unless he is supervised by an adult.

He will be back in court on Jan. 7.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/soldier-accused-of-trying-to-murder-his-baby