Appellate Court upholds child abuse conviction

Posted 6/15/18

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Appellate Court issued a decision on June 14, upholding the conviction of Saundra Hansson, 25, for assaulting a three-year-old child.  The earlier …

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Appellate Court upholds child abuse conviction

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ALBANY, NY — The New York State Appellate Court issued a decision on June 14, upholding the conviction of Saundra Hansson, 25, for assaulting a three-year-old child.  The earlier conviction resulted in Hanson being sentenced to 22 years in state prison. Hansson claimed there were errors made at the trial in Supreme Court, but the higher court rejected those arguments.  

Hansson’s case was personally prosecuted by Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell, who said that the evidence established that while Hansson was visiting Sullivan County in 2014 she committed the assault. The child,  "sustained life-threatening injuries, including severe abdominal injuries, a broken pelvis in three different locations, a broken neck, five broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a broken arm, broken fingers and bones in both hands and extensive bruises, contusions and abrasions all about the child’s head and body.”

A passerby at the Monticello Bus Station noted the child’s condition and alerted authorities. An investigation was initiated by the Monticello Police Department and the Sullivan Count y Family Violence Response Team.  Testimony at the trial indicated that without immediate medical intervention the child would have died within hours.

Hansson admitted to the assault to one of the investigators, and the child identified her as the attacker to one person at Catskill Regional Medical Center and another at Westchester Medical Center.

Farrell, said, “I am extremely pleased that the appellate court rejected all of Hansson’s claims and affirmed both the conviction and sentence here.  This was undoubtedly a fair trial, one in which her guilt was clearly established.  This case is one of the most disturbing and upsetting cases I have had in my 22 years as a prosecutor and had this utter stranger, this child’s guardian angel on earth, not called the police we certainly would have been dealing with a homicide.  Hansson’s actions nearly resulted in this child’s death and subjected the child to a brutal, inhuman and wicked assault. Thankfully, the child has made a recovery, physically, but will suffer the scars of this assault psychologically, forever.”

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