Judge puts off bail decision for mom in kidnapping case

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This article was published 25/07/2016 (2830 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg mother accused of kidnapping her two children has to wait until next month to find out whether she’ll be granted bail.

Sandra Giesbrecht, 44, has been in custody since her June 22 arrest on two counts of abduction and one count of fleeing from police. She was in court Tuesday when defence lawyer Mike Cook argued in favour of her release. The Crown was opposed.

Provincial court Chief Judge Margaret Wiebe said she needs more time to consider the matter and reserved her decision until Aug. 10.

No details on evidence or information presented during the bail hearing can be published under a court-imposed publication ban that’s designed to protect the accused’s right to a fair trial.

Winnipeg police arrested Giesbrecht on a Canada-wide warrant following a short pursuit with officers after her nine-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter had been missing for five days. Their father had been granted full custody of the children after a lengthy custody dispute, and Giesbrecht was ordered to have no unauthorized contact with them.