The charges against a young Halifax couple relating to the death of their infant daughter have become even more serious.
Halifax Regional Police announced yesterday Jane Gomes and Ashiqur Rahman are now each facing the additional charge of manslaughter in the death of seven-week-old Aurora Breakthrough. The daughter of the common-law couple was sent to the IWK Health Centre on July 24 with serious injuries and died four days later in hospital.
Gomes is being charged with two counts of manslaughter in relation to the death and Rahman one — all from different sections under the manslaughter charge, according to police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter.
Palmeter said Gomes is charged with one count of manslaughter for “failing to provide the necessities of life” and a second count for “criminal negligence causing death.”
The manslaughter charge for Rahman is for “causing the death.”
“He’s being charged with directly causing the death,” Palmeter said about Rahman, adding for Gomes, “she is in a position that requires one to have certain responsibilities … which we would allege she didn’t do.
“She acted negligently,” he added.
The topic of new charges for Rahman and Gomes has been on-going since the two were arrested in relation to this highly publicized death in late July. The two lived with their infant daughter in an upstairs apartment on Gottingen Street.
The initial charges of aggravated assault, to which Rahmn and Gomes have each pleaded not guilty, still stand.
“The investigation has been ongoing since the incident occurred and there’s a lot of things we’ve been waiting for,” Palmeter said.
“Obviously the biggest key now is the fact this death has been deemed a homicide.”
Rahman and Gomes will be arraigned on the new charges at Halifax provincial court this afternoon.
