A woman has pleaded guilty to abducting her daughter 20 years ago.
Patricia O’Byrne was in a Toronto court Friday where charges of abduction where read out in court. She pleaded guilty and said she understood the charge.
Police accused O’Byrne of abducting her own daughter in 1993 during a bitter custody battle and then relocating to British Columbia.
The daughter’s father, Joe Chisholm, had been searching for the girl for 18 years, using tools like social media.
On Friday the court heard why his daughter was taken from him. In an agreed statement of fact the court heard that O’Byrne was a victim of child abuse.
“Her history of abuse resulted in significant trauma that left her distrustful of men in general and hyper vigilant in her need to protect her daughter from perceived threats,” the statement said.
The statement went on to say O’Byrne did not believe the girl’s father had an understanding of appropriate child rearing practices and did not know how to protect children from outside harm. The mother believed the only way to keep her daughter safe was to disappear.
Police, going on a tip, tracked down and arrested O’Byrne in Victoria in December of 2011. She was charged with abduction.
The daughter’s identity has been protected by a court order. The Crown is seeking a custodial sentence of 15 to 18 months, and community service.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the father said he didn’t want O’Byrne to go to jail.
“Have I been wronged from the willfulness of Patricia O’Byrne? Yes. Do I want her punished? No. How can a mother be punished without affecting the child? I cannot stand for that,” Chisholm wrote.
He said he wants reconciliation and a relationship with his daughter.
Sentencing is expected to take place April 7.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s John Musselman
