EDMONTON – Allyson McConnell, the woman who served 10 months for the drowning deaths of her two sons, arrived in Sydney, Australia late Tuesday afternoon (MT), where she was met by a crowd of reporters. Despite them asking her dozens of questions, ashen-faced McConnell had no comment. You can watch the raw video below:
McConnell and her mother flew out of Edmonton late Monday night. Airport staff told Global News the 33-year-old woman went through an underground entrance, and boarded a plane leaving for Vancouver.
Last year, McConnell was convicted of manslaughter for drowning Connor, 2-1/2, and Jayden, 10 months, on or about Jan. 30, 2010 in the bathtub of the family’s home in Millet.
A judge sentenced her to six years imprisonment, but reduced that to 15 months in recognition of the 2-1/2 years McConnell had spent in custody at Alberta Hospital. A deportation order was filed Oct. 18, 2012, and McConnell remained in custody at the Alberta Hospital until she was allowed to leave the country April 8.
The deportation continues to generate controversy. On Tuesday, McConnell’s own lawyer weighed in through a letter to the Edmonton Journal. In it, he disputed that the province pursued an appeal against McConnell in a timely fashion and that her release came as a surprise.
What has followed, is the Alberta NDP calling for the resignation of the province’s Justice Minister Jonathan Denis.
The Wildrose and Alberta Liberals are also saying that the way the McConnell case has been handled is unacceptable.
“I don’t want to say incompetent,” says Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman, “but under the leadership of this minister I’m not seeing the department of justice and solicitor general as on top of things as they have been in the past.”
“The idea where we might now have to fly this woman back from Australia so that her family can see justice, that doesn’t serve anyone well and it doesn’t give anyone confidence that this justice minister has any idea what he’s doing,” says Wildrose leader Danielle Smith.
Denis, meanwhile, is standing by the actions of the prosecution, which he says “has done absolutely evertyhing to ensure justice is served.”
“And it isn’t over,” he adds. “We’re going to continue until we feel justice has been served and all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.”
The matter is now in the hands of the Court of Appeal. If it rules on a new sentence or trial, then the province will have to apply to extradite McConnell from Australia.
With files from the Edmonton Journal
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