Regina court hears closing arguments for trial of man charged with abducting his daughter
Crown tells jury Michael Gordon Jackson purposely kept his daughter from her mother for months
The trial of a Carievale, Sask., man charged with abduction is winding down, as court heard closing arguments Thursday morning.
Michael Gordon Jackson allegedly failed to return his seven-year-old daughter to the care of her mother, who had primary custody, after a long-weekend visit in November 2021.
Jackson, who represented himself, has pleaded not guilty to abduction in contravention of a custody order.
Crown prosecutor Zoey Kim-Zeggelaar told CBC that the possible sentence range is very broad, with Jackson facing anything from a conditional sentence to seven years in prison.
Both the defence and the Crown kept their closing addresses to the jury simple.
In order to find Jackson guilty, the jury would have to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to deprive his ex-wife of possession of their daughter.
Jackson told the jury that witness testimony and evidence have proven he never intended to do that. He said his only intention was to prevent her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Jackson said he believed the vaccine would harm his daughter and claimed the mother did not let him know her views on the vaccine for months.
He said that once she told him she would follow government guidance concerning child vaccination, he was "forced to retain" the seven-year-old.
On April 11, a former friend of Jackson's testified that, prior to taking his daughter, Jackson said he believed he was a better parent than the mother and that the girl would be better off with him.
The Crown addresses the jury
Kim-Zeggelaar made her final argument after Jackson concluded his, telling the jury that under the custody agreement, Jackson did not have medical decision-making power, but was expected to communicate his thoughts on medical matters with his daughter's mom.
"This was a bad divorce and it continued into a custody battle," she said, adding that there were clearly communication issues between Jackson and his ex-wife.
The Crown said there is no doubt Jackson made his concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine clear, but the girl's mother had the final say.
After the mother told Jackson that she planned to get their daughter vaccinated, he decided to "take the law into his own hands" and keep her, the Crown said
Kim-Zeggelaar reminded the jury that before the father and daughter were found, the mother did provide an affidavit, signed under oath, stating she would not get the child vaccinated. The Crown argued Jackson received the promise he asked for, but chose to not accept the validity of the document.
The Crown said there did not appear to be any negotiation around returning the girl to her mother until months after he left, and Jackson never turned himself in.
"But for the action of the police, we don't know how long this would have gone on for," said Kim-Zeggelaar.
The mother did not see her daughter until the girl and Jackson were found in Vernon, B.C., in late February 2022 after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for him.
According to the Crown, Jackson's goal of keeping his daughter unvaccinated meant that he purposely kept the girl away from her mother.
Kim-Zeggelaar also read some of Jackson's own words to the jury from evidence brought before the court, quoting Jackson as saying, "Never seeing her mother again would be a benefit, not a loss."
The jury is expected to begin deliberations Friday morning.
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