Anke Doehm Sentenced to 5 Years for Child Cruelty in Faye Lin Cannon Case

Sixty-three-year-old San Pedro resident Anke Doehm has been sentenced to five years in prison for child cruelty in connection with the death of her adopted daughter Faye Lin Cannon. The verdict was handed down in the Belize High Court this morning by Justice Derick Sylvester. While the crime is considered serious and recently had the maximum penalty increased from ten years to fourteen years, Justice Sylvester’s starting point for sentencing was four years. He then increased it to five years after considering aggravating and mitigating factors. The sentence is to take effect from March 4, 2024, when Doehm was found guilty by a jury of nine. Justice Sylvester was also of the view that Doehm needed psychological help and must be considered a danger to children in society. He ruled that Doehm must participate in rehabilitation Programs at the Belize Central Prison during her sentence. Anke and her husband David had adopted four children from China to live with them in the United States but then later migrated to Belize. In 2017 Faye Lin Cannon died in their care and a post-mortem examination confirmed that the girl was malnourished and displayed signs of physical and sexual abuse. David Doehm committed suicide later that year.