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MLA feels heat for taking convict under his wing – Metro US

MLA feels heat for taking convict under his wing

A local MLA is standing by his controversial decision to supervise a convicted child abuser.

In 2005 Kevin Bernard Kosinsky shook his three-month-old baby so hard she suffered brain damage.

Recently, Dartmouth North MLA Trevor Zinck of the NDP agreed to supervise the man so he could be released from prison and work 200 hours of community service at the Salvation Army.

The mother of Kosinsky’s child has said it was the wrong thing to do and the man should be behind bars. But Zinck said he’s trying to help the man transition to being a good citizen.

“It’s a heinous crime and he knows that. However he went through the court system and now he’s rehabilitating,” Zinck told reporters Thursday at the Nova Scotia legislature.

“He is trying to transition so I saw fit to help him with that effort.”

Premier Darrell Dexter said he would not have done the same thing. He said it can cause uncomfortable situations even if the member acted with the best of intentions.

Dexter, a lawyer, said Zinck should have consulted him or others in the party for their advice.

Zinck said he’ll do that in the future but has no regrets on how he handled Kosinsky’s case.

“I don’t regret it. I understand the optics around it. I know that it’s a difficult decision for anyone to try to make … but if I merely closed my door to those folks I wouldn’t be doing a service to my community,” he said.

“In my community unfortunately I deal with a lot of people who are going through transitions in their lives and obviously coming from different situations. I never pre-judge anyone who comes through my door.”

Zinck said he is meeting with the child’s mother Friday and is going to try to get them both more help.