Doctor didn’t do rigorous check of emaciated boy days before death, Ont. trial for 2 prospective parents told – CBC

Boy’s family doctor grilled by defence lawyer during Hamber-Cooney trial in Milton

Oct 29, 2025

A 12-year-old boy who was severely malnourished and underweight was seen by his family doctor for an annual checkup eight days before he died while in the care of two Burlington, Ont., women.

Dr. Graeme (Stephen) Duncan testified on Monday and Tuesday at the trial for Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, who have pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of the boy the couple had been trying to adopt.

At the time of the appointment, on Dec. 13, 2022, the boy, known as L.L. as his identity is protected by a publication ban, had lost about 10 pounds in one year, weighed less than he did when he was six years old and had stopped growing.

“He was quite interactive and normal in terms of responding to me verbally, politely,” Duncan told the judge-alone trial in Milton Superior Court. “But the physical exam was remarkable mostly because of his weight loss.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamber-cooney-trial-9.6957150