What to know about Hamber’s testimony today

Answering questions from her own lawyer during her testimony today, Becky Hamber touched on multiple themes the court has heard throughout the weeks-long trial.

Monte MacGregor asked Hamber about methods she and her wife, Brandy Cooney, used to control the boys they were hoping to adopt, including locks on their bedroom doors, zip ties and wetsuits. 

In each case, Hamber explained why she felt it was necessary to restrain the children or limit their freedom. For example, she said, they had to zip-tie hockey helmets onto the boys at times to prevent them from banging their heads into various objects.

She said it was her idea to make the boys wear wetsuits — which has come up multiple times during the trial. Hamber likened wearing wetsuits to “a hug,” and said they prevented the boys from urinating in the house or harming their genitals. 

Hamber also testified that children’s aid workers and health professionals knew about these techniques and did not raise any issues with them. 

Earlier, Hamber emphasized that she still loved the boys despite difficult times. Her testimony is the continuation of a five-month trial related to the death of L.L., who was found unresponsive on his bedroom floor in 2022, and the alleged assault of his brother.

Her testimony, which began yesterday, is scheduled to resume on Wednesday. We will continue our live coverage here.