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Hearing date set for woman accused of child abduction

Nov 10, 2017 | 2:21 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A hearing date has been set for next week, as the defence seeks additional disclosure from another country in an alleged child abduction case.

The case is centred around a 33-year-old woman who is accused of abducting her son – who was 11 months old at the time – and fleeing to Belize for three years.

While the Crown has already handed over a significant quantity of disclosure, the defence says they still need third party records from Global Affairs Canada, regarding the woman’s actions in Belize. To that end, the defence will put forward an O’Connor Application next Wednesday, Nov. 15, in an effort to have the court order the records.

The woman – who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child – had been wanted by authorities since 2014 on a charge of child abduction, after she allegedly failed to drop off the child for a court ordered visit with his father. As a result, the father was granted sole custody on an interim basis, and numerous international agencies were involved in the search.

After years of tracking the woman across several countries, members of the Lethbridge Police Service received a tip in July that allowed local authorities in the town of San Ignacio to take her into custody.

She was later transported back to Canada, along with her child, who has since been reunited with his father.

The woman is currently out on bail and living with family, under conditions that prevent her from possessing a passport and from having contact with her child, unless she has written permission from a family court.