WINNIPEG — An outwardly emotionless Kevin Maryk pleaded guilty Thursday morning to kidnapping his children, Abby and Dominic, then five and seven respectively, in August 2008.
Maryk, who was brought into court in handcuffs and shackles, pleaded guilty to two counts of abduction, and had two charges of conspiracy dropped.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. His lawyer asked the judge on Thursday to sentence the father to two years imprisonment; the Crown is seeking a sentence of five years, with no credit for time spent in a Mexican jail.
Maryk, 42, kidnapped his children, Abby and Dominic, then five and seven years old respectively, in August 2008.
At the time, the duo were on a two-week vacation as part of a court-approved visit with their biological father.
Their mother, Emily Cablek, had legal custody of the children.
With the help of numerous police organizations and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the children and their father were tracked down in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2012.
TIMELINE: From abduction to justice, the story of the Maryk children
Police rescued Dominic and Abby after tips began pouring in about a family living in a tiny house surrounded by surveillance cameras, barbed wire and guard dogs.
Police were told the two kids were going by the names of Kim and Damien and they never left the home during the day.
Winnipeg police had distributed videos about the case, including one dubbed into Spanish, to Mexican businesses and media outlets.
After the children were found by authorities, they were brought back to Winnipeg and reunited with Cablek.
Co-accused Robert Groen pleaded guilty to playing a role in the international abduction and was sentenced to one year in jail on June 19.
During Groen’s sentencing last week, the court heard more about his role in the bizarre kidnapping.
Groen was a longtime friend and neighbour of Maryk.
Before joining Maryk and the children in Mexico, Groen provided financial assistance to Maryk, sending about US$30,000.
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