Saskatchewan Father Sentenced to 1-Year Jail for Withholding Daughter to Avoid COVID Vaccine

December 6, 2024 TruthUSA

A Saskatchewan father who prevented his daughter from receiving a COVID-19 vaccination to keep her away from her mother was sentenced to one year in jail with credit for time served.

Michael Gordon Jackson violated a custody court order he had with his ex-wife, the girl’s mother. After a visitation in November 2021, he kept his then-7-year-old daughter away from the mother for almost three months. The girl primarily resided with her mother.

Jackson was convicted in April, and on Dec. 6 Court of King’s Bench Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown imposed a 12-month sentence followed by two years of probation. He was credited for the 531 days he had already spent in jail and would not serve any additional time, as per a Global News report.

“He will be free to go today subject to the terms of the probation,” MacMillan-Brown stated.

The Crown prosecutors sought two years of imprisonment, three years of probation, and 200 hours of community service for Jackson to send a message with the sentencing.

MacMillan-Brown declined the extra jail time, stating, “Without downplaying the harm Mr. Jackson caused … I cannot agree with the Crown’s stance that a two-year custodial sentence is fitting in this instance.”

Jackson opted to represent himself and argued against being sentenced for his actions.

His probation conditions prohibit contact with his daughter or ex-wife and mandate 100 hours of community service.

Court records revealed that Jackson kept the girl away out of concern that her mother would consent to her receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, which he believed could harm her. He attempted to discuss his worries with his ex-wife but felt that she ignored him, as per court documents.

In a prior custody dispute involving the girl, the mother secured an enforcement clause that authorized police to bring back the girl if Jackson failed to return her following visits. This provision was still active when a new court order was issued on Nov. 26, 2021, directing the girl’s return to her mother.

Jackson appealed this decision, but on Jan. 5, 2022, the mother was granted full custody and decision-making authority on an interim basis.

Police located Jackson and the girl in Vernon, B.C., in February 2022. Jackson was sentenced to 60 days in jail for contempt of court and remained in confinement until Feb. 13, 2023.

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