By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Accused, Belizean authorities testify in hearing tied to child abduction case

Nov 2, 2018 | 5:24 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Authorities from the country of Belize testified in Lethbridge Provincial Court Friday, Nov. 2, to assist in a local child abduction case.

Two officers with the Belize Police Department (BPD) and a former member of the country’s department of immigration appeared in court via CCTV, recounting their involvement last year with a Canadian woman, who also took the stand Friday.

It was part of a defence application under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for the 34-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child.

According to the Lethbridge Police Service, the woman had been wanted by authorities since 2014, after she allegedly failed to drop off the 11-month-old child for a court-ordered visit with his father. She was tracked through Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Belize, where she was taken into custody.

The woman’s lawyer, William Wister, earlier told the media that he feels his client was denied fundamental justice by Canadian officials, saying they had no right to have her arrested on foreign soil and sent back to Canada. He added that the arrest and deportation by Belizean authorities amounted to a “disguised extradition” with a country that we share no such treaty with.

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Cpl. Holly Vasquez was the first to testify, having been the lead investigator in Belize. He testified that he took carriage of the file on Nov. 1, 2015 and was tipped off by a confidential informant as to her location two weeks later. It wasn’t until July 19, 2017, however, that he would go to the location and bring her in. No explanation was provided in court as to why there was such a lengthy delay.

Going over that day, Vasquez explained that after walking into the woman’s home – along with six armed police officers – and identifying himself, he asked her to provide identification. After failing to do so and providing a fake name, the officer asked her permission to search the residence, which she provided. When he wasn’t able to find what he was looking for, he arrested the woman for failing to provide travel documents and made a point of emphasizing that he cautioned her and informed her of her rights.

When asked by the defence about his authority to search the home, Vasquez said they are permitted when intelligence sources suggest there may be a firearm present – adding that the informant provided such information. He acknowledged that they did not locate any firearms. During her time on the stand, the woman said Vasquez never questioned her about firearms.

A now retired member of the investigation unit with the Belize Department of Immigration and Nationality Services, Vernon Leslie, was next up.

He explained the process for removing the woman from the country, saying that she pleaded guilty and was convicted of failing to produce a passport when requested on July 20, 2017. As a result, she was handed a fine of $1,000, or six months in a detention facility. As per their laws, Leslie said the woman would then be sent back to her country of origin, after she paid the fine or served the time.

“We did everything above board here and everything was done clearly and transparently,” said Leslie, as he continued to discuss the matter. He said that the fine was paid several days later and that on Aug. 9, he was there when they put her on a flight to Houston, which would then connect her to Calgary. While he believed her family had paid for the flight, he acknowledged that he hadn’t been sure when Wister said specialized prosecutions in Canada had actually covered the cost.

Following testimony from an inspector with the BPD, the accused then took the stand.

“I think their goal was to try to get me back to Canada,” the woman told the court, adding that she couldn’t afford a local lawyer and was never informed that she had the option of retaining Canadian legal counsel to represent her.

As for her passport, she testified that a friend had it while trying to get her residency in Belize and that she wasn’t able to contact him.

Moving to her flight from Belize, the woman said some of her friends in the country had made plans to meet them at the airport and prevent her from being sent back to Canada. She then became upset on the stand, saying police decided to take her in the backway to the airport, bypassing those who she believes were waiting for them.

“They’re telling me I have to leave my son in another country,” she cried, saying that she wanted to stay and even told authorities that she would go back to the prison where she had spent some time after being convicted. She said they informed her that if she didn’t leave voluntarily, she would go out on another flight with an escort. She noted later that she was aware her son would be returning to Canada later as well.

The day’s proceedings ended with an adjournment to Dec. 14. At that time, it’s expected the defence will either inform the court that they want to call additional witnesses, or a date will be set for both sides to present their arguments to the court.

The accused has yet to enter a plea in the case.

She is currently out on bail and living with family, with conditions that prevent her from possessing a passport and from having contact with her child, unless given written permission by a family court.

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