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PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — The mother and stepfather of six-year-old Dontay Lucas have been sentenced to 15 years each in prison by a B.C. Supreme Court judge. 

Mitchell Frank and Rykel Frank stood in shackles in a court in Port Alberni as they were sentenced for the death of the boy who was found in medical distress inside the home he shared with his mother in March 2018. 

Rykel Frank told the court before sentencing that she was under extreme stress at the time of his death and wasn't emotionally up to the job of parenting, while Mitchell Frank said he had limited memory of what happened because of his alcohol abuse. 

The boy had multiple traumatic injuries and died after being taken to hospital. 

The pair were originally charged with first-degree murder, but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. 

The Crown prosecutor had asked for the sentence of 15 years, with three years' credit each for time already served, which the judge granted.

The boy's father, Patrick Lucas, told the court in a victim impact statement that Dontay's death was his "worst nightmare" and he fell into addiction and depression after the killing. 

(CTV News) 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2024. 

The Canadian Press