Court hears cops rescued two babies from filthy crack house 

By Sam Pazzano

The baby girls’ mom Taranjit Grewal, now 23, has pleaded guilty to two counts of corrupting the morals of her children. She is pictured right leaving court with a supporter.

TORONTO - Two Toronto cops rescued two babies from a filthy crackhouse where their addicted mother had passed out, a Superior Court heard Tuesday.
Crown attorney Laura Bird told Justice Faye McWatt that Const. Matthew DeMelo and Michael Thomas “ought to be commended” for executing a warrantless search of 2737 Kipling Ave. on Feb. 23, 2010.
The cops spotted two girls, aged 28 months and 15 months, who were found to be “ravishingly” hungry, exposed to crack cocaine and living in appalling conditions.
The place was in total disarray, with cat feces on the floor, vomit on the couch, piles of garbage everywhere, dirty diapers and clothing on the floor, court heard.
Bird said the officers’ search was justified on two basis - under the Child and Family Services Act - which protects children and removes them from unfit environments - and under the exigent circumstances where officers can enter private dwellings.
Both children were dirty and desperately in need of a bath. The 15-month-old had an extreme case of diaper rash - her groin area was completely reddened and the eldest girl’s diaper was soaking wet and her skin wrinkled from being exposed to the damp diaper for far too long.
The girls’ mom Taranjit Grewal, now 23, has pleaded guilty to two counts of corrupting the morals of her children. But she is challenging the possession of a .22 calibre handgun charge, alleging the officers’ search was unjustified due to a Charter violation for illegal search.
Grewal testified she never knew the firearm was sitting on top of her refrigerator, where the officers discovered it “in plain sight” while looking for food for the toddlers.
Grewal testified that Niranjan Kalaichelvam, who was investigated for a credit card fraud in Peel region, deposited the gun on top of the fridge in late November 2009.
“It defies credibility to accept that this lethal weapon was on her fridge for three months and she didn’t know it was there,” said Bird.
“And Niranjan would more likely leave his mother there for three months than leave his firearm for three months,” said Bird.
Grewal “set the chain in events in motion” when she phoned Telehealth because of her drugged state. When she passed out, Telehealth phoned 9-1-1, bringing the police to her doorstep, court heard.
“The officers knew somebody was clearly in medical distress and there was at least one child in obvious distress and crying in the background,” noted Bird.
Defence lawyer Kristin Bailey said “the extent of the intrusion was unnecessary” as the officers took advantage of the situation to search a home “in a high crime, high drug use” area.
“This is a breach of someone’s privacy rights - she phoned Telehealth with a health problem,” said Bailey.
McWatt will rule on the gun charge on Nov. 28 and set a sentencing date.