Since Samantha Richards secretly gave birth and left her dead newborn baby in a downtown London dumpster two years ago, she has lived as a recluse and struggled with feelings of shame, guilt, and self-hatred.
Details of the 25-year-old Amherstburg woman's life since her arrest on June 18, 2016 were shared during the start of a sentencing hearing at the London courthouse Friday. Richards pleaded guilty in May to a charge of concealing the body of a child. A charge of failing to obtain assistance in childbirth was dropped last December because the Crown believed there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.
Richards has maintained the baby boy was born deceased, but Assistant Crown prosecutor Konrad de Koning noted there is no way of knowing for sure. The remains of the full-term newborn were found in a grocery bag by a man who was looking for recyclables in a dumpster behind an apartment building in the area of Richmond St. and Mill St. two days prior to Richards' arrest.
"Since the day of her arrest, it's as if her time has stood still. This has completely decimated her... she is a recluse," Richards' defence lawyer Patricia Brown told the court.
Defence Lawyer Patricia Brown speaks to reporters outside of the London courthouse
Prior to the incident, Richards was said to be a "vibrant young woman with a plethora of friends." She was an honours student in high school, took business and finance at Western University and was one semester away from completing a college program in Windsor. She had no criminal record and no substance abuse issues.
Richards does have a history of seizures and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. Brown told the court her client has also disclosed to a psychologist that she was exposed to abuse as a child, but did not go into any specifics.
Now living with her mother and stepfather, Richards has only left the house on her own a handful of times in the past two years. The majority of her family will not speak to her and friends have distanced themselves. She has gone from working two jobs to being supported by her mother.
Due to the intense media interest in the case, Richards has changed her appearance and wears a wig, according to Brown.
When given a chance to address the court by Justice Duncan Grace, Richards shook her head and offered a quiet "no, thank you."
Throughout much of Friday's proceedings, Richards could be seen crying. Her sobs became so loud during a brief recess her mother took her out of the courtroom.
"There is no doubt her remorse is profound and sincere,” said Grace.
The defence has asked that Richards be given a conditional discharge, while the Crown is leaving it up to Justice Grace to decide between that or a suspended sentence.
"Jail is not an appropriate sentence, " said de Koning, who also expressed doubt that Richards would ever do this again or commit any other offence.
A conditional discharge would leave Richards without a criminal record as long as she follows any probation orders given. A suspended sentence would leave her with a criminal conviction and potentially act as a deterrent to other people faced with a similar situation.
Grace will deliver his sentencing decision on September 26.