'A sense of urgency': Sask. man accused of abducting daughter calls himself to the stand during trial
Michael Gordon Jackson, the man on trial after being charged with contravention of a custody order for allegedly abducting his daughter in late 2021 to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, called himself to the stand Monday.
Jackson, 53, who is representing himself in the trial is also the defence's first witness.
He began his testimony by admitting he was “nervous.”
“I fully believe through the evidence and testimony presented last week, the Crown has already proved my case,” Jackson said in his opening statement.
Jackson took the jury through the series of events starting well before November 2021, describing the divorce with his now ex-wife and the mother of their daughter as “bad.”
"When the marriage broke down, it wasn’t good,” he added. “Over the years, things got more complicated through the courts.”
According to the couple’s custody order in place at the time of the alleged events, the then seven-year-old girl’s mother had primary custody of the couple’s child.
The order states the mother had the final say regarding the daughter’s health and education but must consult the father before making a decision.
“When COVID-19 came out, I was confused,” Jackson told the court. “And as a father, I was concerned about [my daughter] getting COVID.”
Jackson testified he began doing research on the internet and on YouTube about COVID-19 and the vaccine.
“There was no way I was going to let them inject that stuff into my seven-year old daughter,” he said. “Things got more desperate for me.”
According to Jackson’s testimony, he attempted for eight months to have dialogue with his ex-wife about getting their child vaccinated.
Last week, the mother testified she had not made a decision on whether to get her child vaccinated.
“I was waiting for an announcement from the government and Saskatchewan Health,” she said.
Jackson added it was his wish to go through the court system to do so.
“Court systems have been extremely bias against the vaccine and against fathers,” he claimed.
Jackson then described a court hearing where he claimed the mother’s lawyer denied a request they hold off on getting the child vaccinated to allow for a judge to make a decision.
“It created a sense of urgency [in me],” Jackson said. “I felt [they] would take her and vaccinate her.”
He felt, “there was no remedy in the court,” and went into hiding following the hearing in November of 2021.
“My intention was not to disappear for the rest of my life,” Jackson added. “I felt I had to.”
Jackson said he withheld the child so she could not get the vaccine.
“I envisioned [the mother] would drive her right to the clinic,” he added.
The father felt he did what any other parent would do in his case.
“Just because I’m the only one in the country that did something, doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” Jackson said to conclude his testimony.
Cross examination
Crown Prosecutor Zoe Kim-Zeggelaar focused her cross examination on Jackson’s perceived distrust of the legal system.
In her questioning, she used the couple’s divorce as the starting point of that distrust.
“Were you unhappy with the courts and the outcomes of those proceedings?” Kim-Zeggelaar asked.
Jackson responded by saying “yes.”
Kim-Zeggelaar then asked Jackson to read a message he sent to an RCMP officer recorded in evidence.
“The courts are so incredibly corrupt,” the message from Jackson read.
Later in the cross examination, the prosecutor asked Jackson if a person’s word was important to him.
He responded, “yes.”
“On Nov. 15, 2021, you said you would return [your daughter] on Nov. 20,” Kim-Zeggelaar described. “Did you keep your word then?”
“I said I was going to,” Jackson said. “But I changed my mind later on that week.”
“And when you received a signed affidavit saying [the mother] would not vaccinate [the child], you still did not return her,” Kim-Zeggelaar went on to ask.
“I don’t hold any faith in an affidavit,” Jackson replied.
Submitted evidence showed correspondence the father had with police with requests Jackson had to return his daughter.
In them, he suggested he would be willing to go a “lengthy amount of time without seeing [his daughter].
“I had to atone for what I had done,” Jackson said. “And I was willing to do that.”
“It was my duty to protect [my daughter] from the vaccine, not keep her from her mother,” he added.
911 calls
Two 911 calls were played in court as part of Jackson’s defence from Dec. 1, 2021, before he went completely into hiding with the couple’s child.
Jackson said they were to show a fear he had while dealing with Carnduff RCMP.
In the calls, Jackson claimed RCMP were attempting to break into his house, where he and the couple’s daughter were at that the time.
The judge ruled what Jackson said during the calls were not to be taken as evidence by the jury, but rather to give them an idea of Jackson’s thought process at the time of the events.
During the calls, Jackson claimed his and the child’s life were being put in danger by police.
“I’m afraid [Carnduff RCMP] are going to do something,” Jackson said to the dispatcher.
The dispatcher then asked to confirm he did not want to talk to members from that detachment.
“No,” Jackson responded. “I will not.”
Jury letter
During Monday morning’s proceedings, the jury took a break for a discussion between the judge and counsel.
While discussion was ongoing, a court deputy sheriff brought a piece of paper into the room and handed it to Justice Heather MacMillian-Brown.
The paper was then passed to Jackson’s Amicus Curiae, Brady Knight, then to Crown Prosecutor Zoe Kim-Zeggelaar and then to Jackson himself at the witness stand.
Justice MacMillian-Brown said the note was from the jury and mentioned “concerning looks” from Jackson’s support person, Mr. Allan.
Known as a “McKenzie Friend” to the court, Allan had been sitting beside Jackson and assisting in note taking during the proceedings.
He is not acting as legal counsel.
Upon returning from the short break, Allan had not returned to his usual position on the defence side of the court.
The judge asked the jury to not take anything from Allan’s actions regarding Jackson’s testimony or credibility.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.