A 48-year-old Saskatoon woman who’s facing nine charges — including abduction in contravention of a custody order, forging a passport, and possession of forged documents — claims her rights were violated, and her lawyers are asking for her case to be stayed.
Dawn Walker’s pickup truck was found abandoned in a park outside of Saskatoon last July, prompting an extensive search of the South Saskatchewan River and surrounding areas. Walker and her child were found two weeks later in Oregon City by American law enforcement officers and were both returned to Canada.
In a 48-page application filed in Saskatoon Provincial Court, Walker’s lawyers claim she felt she had no choice but to flee Saskatchewan, fearing for her child’s safety, and after experiencing sexual abuse and harassment.
“Ms. Walker intends to establish at trial that she fled Saskatchewan due to her honest believe that her child faced grievous imminent harm,” read the court document. “Their flight to the United Sates was Ms. Walker’s final, most desperate attempt in a long series of fruitless bids to seek protection from the authorities and from…. ongoing sexual abuse and harm.”
Upon her return to Canada, the application alleges her Charter Rights were violated, and that she was treated abysmally while in the custody of Canadian authorities, including Saskatoon Police.
The application also alleges she was subjected to intimate strip searches, placed into a straight jacket at the Alouette Correctional Centre in B.C., then segregated for a day, after having a panic attack.
Full Article: https://sasknow.com/2023/04/24/saskatoon-woman-accused-of-abducting-her-child-asks-for-stay-in-proceedings/
Photo Source: Saskatoon Police Service
