An Iqaluit woman will serve 18 months probation and retain no criminal record for abducting her own children last September. (File photo)
Iqaluit mother pleads guilty to abducting her own children
An “extremely bad decision” with no ill intent, Crown says
An Iqaluit woman charged last fall with abducting her own children must serve 18 months on probation after she pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday, Jan. 21, at the Nunavut Court of Justice.
The woman, who has no criminal record, was also granted a conditional discharge, meaning she won’t retain any criminal record once the probation is over.
“Parental abduction is a very serious matter,” Nunavut Justice Bonnie Tulloch said.
RCMP arrested the woman Sept. 27 when she returned to Canada from a country in West Africa. That’s after the children’s father, who was separated from the woman at the time, reported to police Sept. 22 that he hadn’t seen two of his children for over two weeks.
The mother, whose name is protected under a publication ban to avoid identifying the children, wasn’t answering his calls or emails, he reported.
Police and border services later found that the woman had travelled with her mother and the children to their home country in West Africa, because the grandmother’s visa was expiring. The grandmother was then the woman’s primary source of childcare.
“Their father did not agree to have them leave the territory,” a Crown lawyer said.
The mother signed the father’s names on documents that allowed the children to leave Nunavut. During a police investigation, belongings such as a computer were seized so RCMP could find those documents.
“There is no allegation of abuse or mistreatment,” the Crown lawyer said, adding that the accused showed no ill intent.
“It was a case of someone who in a difficult set of circumstances made an extremely bad decision that was against the law,” he said.
When police made contact with the woman, she returned to Canada right away. Her children came back with family a few weeks later.
“When she realized the seriousness of her behavior she immediately came back to Canada and made reparation,” her lawyer said. “It’s clear that this is a family that is healing.”
The father and children were present in the courtroom to show their support. In tears, the woman offered her own apology to the court and to her family.
“I know you’ll take this seriously. I don’t think we’ll ever see you back in front of the court again,” said Tulloch, who made her sentencing decision immediately upon hearing the guilty plea and a following joint submission from lawyers.
Given that the woman is raising small children and has shown she is already involved in the community as a volunteer, Tulloch did not require her to perform any community service.
so instead of helping this woman with childcare so that she did not have to rely on her mother, this man sent the police after her with a kidnapping charge? I think he might be the problem. Clearly this woman was not kidnapping her children, but ensuring their adequate care.
From the article “The mother signed the father’s names on documents that allowed the children to leave Nunavut.”
I would like to know what documents are required to leave Nunavut. I am a single mother and the father is not in the picture. For 15 years I took my child on vacation downsouth. Not once did someone ask me for any documents from the dad. First Air and Canadian North do not require letters from the other parent to board a plane.
Now the mother should have gotten permission to Leave the country. When she left why didnt the Boarder agents in Africa ask her for these documents? The USA asks.
For this woman to be given 18 months probation gives her a criminal record which seems so unfair. The fact that she is new to Canada and prehaps not familiar with the laws of our country, perhaps the lawyer could have been a better advocate for her. Most Canadians, as one of your readers noted,are not familiar with their rights and responsibilites when it comes to travelling with their children as a single parent. When travelling from province to province some airlines will ask and others do not. A harsh judgement for this young mother and her family. Now what? Is it another example of how the system works here in Nunavut?