Dawn Walker handed 12-month conditional sentence, 18 months probation

A Saskatoon woman accused of abducting her child and faking their deaths was handed her sentence on Thursday.

Dawn Walker, 49, pleaded guilty in Saskatoon Provincial Court to parental abduction in contravention of a custody order, possession of forged documents, and making a false written statement to procure a passport.

She was handed a 12-month conditional sentence to be followed by 18 months of probation by Judge Bradley Mitchell, based on a joint submission by the Crown and defence.

Shortly after Walker pleaded guilty, two victim impact statements were read out in court. A publication ban protecting the victims in her case prevents details of the statements from being shared.

According to an agreed statement of facts read in court by Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk, Walker planned the abduction for several months, bought a truck for $10,000, and applied for passports under a false name.

She drove across the border at the Raymond U.S. crossing and then rented Air BnBs until she arrived at her destination.

Walker was arrested in Oregon City on Aug. 5, 2022, after an intense search in Saskatoon that cost police and search-and-rescue organizations upwards of $100,000.

When she was arrested, Walker was found with several fake documents, including passports and COVID vaccine letters.

Dawn Walker (centre) pleaded guilty to three charges during an appearance Thursday in Saskatoon Provincial Court. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

According to Olenchuk, the aggravating circumstances of the case included Walker planning her actions well in advance, causing significant trauma to her family and the child, and costing the public thousands of dollars as a frantic search for the pair unfolded.

Olenchuk said Walker has a law degree, meaning she understood both the law and the consequences of her actions.

Mitigating circumstances included Walker’s guilty plea – which meant avoiding a long and potentially costly trial – along with her lack of any previous criminal record and the abuse she allegedly suffered both as a child and as an adult partner.

Walker read out a statement to the court saying she was “truly sorry” for her actions.

“I apologize to my friends and family for the pain I have caused them,” she said.

Calling her child the “greatest love of her life,” Walker also told the court it was her “sacred duty to protect (the child’s) innocence.”

She said she is “committed” to never finding herself in front of a judge again.

Outside the courthouse, Walker’s lawyer, Marie Henein, said she didn’t want to comment on what happened in the courtroom, but said Walker was happy to have the case behind her.

“I think the question here that we should all be asking is how we feel about how Indigenous women are treated in this country, and in particular in this province,” Henein said.

Olenchuk, however, said Walker’s sentence was significant, and one that sends a message.

“The courts will not stand by and have people who are displeased or unhappy with how family law proceedings are going abscond with their children and take the law into their own hands,” Olenchuk said.

“It is important for people to understand that abusing positions of trust and not going through the proper legal proceedings cannot be condoned and will not be condoned.”

As part of the conditional sentence order, Walker will have to perform 150 hours of community service, abide by a number of conditions and pay a $600 victim surcharge.

Olenchuk said there are no plans at this point to try and recover the $100,000 in costs incurred while searching for Walker and the child.

Walker is still facing charges in the U.S. related to using false identification to cross the border.