Mother pleads guilty to abducting her daughter in 1993
Patricia O'Byrne violated a custody order and left Ontario with her baby
CBC News
Posted: Feb 15, 2013 7:32 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 15, 2013 9:05 PM ET
Patricia O'Byrne pleaded guilty to abduction in a Toronto court Friday. (MissingKids.ca)A woman who kidnapped her child 18 years ago, after a custody battle, pleaded guilty to abduction in a Toronto court Friday.
Patricia O'Byrne was arrested in Victoria, B.C., for violating a custody order and leaving Ontario with her baby.
Police said that in 1993 O'Byrne fled with her daughter who is now 21 years old, following a custody battle with the father, Joe Chisholm. The daughter cannot be named due to a publication ban.
"There were reasons. Like I told the court today, a number of reasons that were informed by her past," said O'Byrne's lawyer Julianna Greenspan.
O'Byrne told the court, through her lawyer, that she left to protect her daughter from her ex-husband. The court also heard an apology from O'Byrne and that the woman had been physically and sexually abused as a child.
"There were a lot of people and organizations and groups that were impacted. And, Patricia speaks to them, recognizing the impact this case has had on them," said Greenspan.
The young woman has not seen her mother since she was arrested on Dec. 1.
According to Greenspan, the mother and daughter were close and the young woman does not want her mother to go to jail.
Chisholm spent 18 years searching for his daughter with the help of charitable organizations, a public blog and YouTube videos, where he pleaded for any information that would lead to her return.
Police said that O'Byrne and her daughter were living in Victoria under assumed names. O'Byrne worked for the B.C. government as a public affairs officer and, until May 2012, was on the parents' committee at a local high school.
According to the lawyers Chisholm, who was not in court today, does not want O'Byrne to go to jail. He is focusing on building a relationship with his daughter and wants to move on.
Despite Chisholm's wishes, O'Byrne is facing a little less than two years in prison.
O'Byrne is out on bail until the judge rules on the case, which is expected to happen in April.
With files from Amanda MargisonShare Tools
Latest Toronto News Headlines
- Rob Ford fired as Don Bosco Eagles football coach
- The Toronto Catholic District School board announced Wednesday that it was turfing Mayor Rob Ford from his position as head coach of the Don Bosco Eagles senior football team. more »
- Contents of purse stolen from woman who died in Toronto subway
- Toronto police are searching for a suspected thief who stole the contents from the purse of a woman who jumped to her death in a subway station Wednesday morning. more »
- 2 communities north of Toronto eye casino possibilities
- Two communities north of Toronto may have an opportunity to host a casino, but neither appears to be a sure bet for the province. more »
- 2nd suspect named in Tim Bosma slaying
- The second suspect arrested in the Tim Bosma slaying has been identified as Mark Smich, 25, of Oakville, Ont., Supt. Dan Kinsella of Hamilton police announced Wednesday afternoon. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Harper 'not consulted' about Duffy Senate expense repayment
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that not only did he not know about his chief of staff's "gift" to repay Senator Mike Duffy's expenses before the story broke in the media, he was not consulted and did not sign off on Nigel Wright's decision to write a personal cheque. more »
- 2 infants confirmed among dead of Oklahoma tornado
- Rescue workers raced to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of 10 children. more »
- 'You will see him again in heaven,' Sharlene Bosma tells daughter
- Sharlene Bosma told more than 1,000 people at the public memorial service for her slain husband, Tim Bosma, about the love they shared. more »
- Mayor Ford stays silent while his brother defends him
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continues to stonewall the media over allegations that he was recorded on video smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, but his brother Coun. Doug Ford told reporters Wednesday that the story is untrue. more »
- Mayor Ford stays silent while his brother defends him
- Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart crack jokes about Rob Ford
- Rob Ford fired as Don Bosco Eagles football coach
- Rob Ford faces more calls to address crack allegations
- 3 brothers charged in gang sex assault in club district
- 2nd suspect named in Tim Bosma slaying
- Unknown remains found on Dellen Millard's farm
- Missing Toronto woman's parents unfazed by Millard link
- Video forensics: How easy would it be to fake a Rob Ford video?
Toronto traffic with Joan Chang
