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Woman gets 18 years for assault on child
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady woman found guilty in April of smashing the skull of the 2-year-old she babysat a year ago was sentenced this morning to 18 years in prison. Rebecca Polomaine, 31, of 475 Alexander St., was given her sentence at an emotional hearing that included statements by both parents of Riley Gilbert. Riley is now 3 and cannot talk or walk and is blind, the result of a severe brain trauma she suffered when Polomaine smashed her head into or onto a hard surface. "Everyday, I come home and my daughter cannot run to me," Riley's father, Brad, said in court this morning. "She can't say hi to me. She's stuck in a chair." Medical professionals testified at Polomaine's trial that the force required to cause the injury was equal to dropping the child from a second- or third-story balcony. Doctors at Albany Medical Center Hospital had to remove portions of Riley's brain, which were damaged by swelling caused by the injury. Polomaine faced a sentence of as much as 25 years following her conviction April 30 of first-degree assault and reckless assault of a child, both violent felonies. But Acting Schenectady County Court Judge Richard Giardino said while he considered the severity of the attack in calculating Polomaine's sentence, he also took into account the fact that she has no previous criminal record, as well as that she has children of her own.
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September 6, 2008
10:53 a.m.
4:27 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
18 years for violently killing a child? Not long enough. {scratching head} How come drug dealers get more time than people like the charming Ms. Polomaine? Not to minimize drug dealing, but have you ever met a drug dealer go and knock on someone's door and force their poison on a junkie? Probably not. Lock up the addicts for a long time. They do more damage to their families and still wont get the help they need even when mandated by courts. Nothing will stop a fiend unless they are ready to stop. Bottom line is a woman who kills a person who trusted them to keep their child safe less dangerous than a punk who pushes crack to feed their family to the people who willingly use drugs and take food from the family to feed their habit? Just a question!
4:49 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Isn't that nice that the judge took into consideration that Ms. Polomaine did not have a previous criminal record, and that she has children of her own. Well I am for one, glad that she is not going to have any interactions with her children for a long time. They are safe now and she can not hurt them. What could a little two year old child do to warrant such an injury? That sentence is not long enough when one takes into consideration that Miss Riley Gilbert has received a life sentence. As well as all of her family members and friends. This trauma has affected more people then the judge will ever know. Shame on you Ms. Polomaine, you will never feel enough pain as far as I am concerned.
AMS-COLUMBIA COUNTY FRIEND!
9:55 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
In response to the person who wrote that she violently killed a little girl..she did not kill Riley. There is a difference.
Nobody will ever know for sure what happened that day except Becky and she will serve a sentance the judge sees fit. If she did do what she is accused of she will think about it everyday during her time in prison (and for the rest of her life for that matter) but she is a good mom and her children do need her. I know them and they are suffering immensely because of this.
10:40 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Sadly in the end Mrs. Polomaines' children and Riley are the true victims here. They all have suffered so much in this past year. I pray that the future will bring good times to these families and not more sadness!
11:52 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I personally have no sympathy for people who take advantage of helpless children who cannot fight back to keep themselves from getting injured. It is very sad, in this day and age, that we cannot trust anyone to take care of our children. Mrs. P was responsible for the welfare of Riley during the times she was getting paid while her mom was at work. I have known Riley since she was born and she is such a sweet, quiet child. When she would come to work with her mom you did not even know she was here. Riley cannot go out and play like the Polomaine children or even speak her opinion, go to school, go to hoffman's playland or enjoy life, not having a care in the world like she should be dong because someone took it away from her. Hopefully, someday Riley will be talking up a storm, running a marathon or winning a beauty contest. She is very special. Like the previous comments before mine, there was only a certain amount of people present at the time, one being an adult the others being children, children who could not be responsible for what Riley has had to go through and what she will be going through in the future.