Newmarket mom accused of kidnapping sons to stand trial

A Newmarket, Ont., woman accused of abducting her young sons from their father and taking them to Poland 17 years ago is heading to trial. Edyta Ustaszewska Watkins, 52, is scheduled to stand trial next October for two weeks before a judge and jury, accused of two counts of abducting a child under the age of 14. Ustaszewska Watkins remains behind bars after she was denied bail in April. A loved one proposed herself a surety with a pledge of $10,000. Arrested earlier this year in Europe and extradited back to Canada, Ustaszewska Watkins had been living overseas as one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives for the alleged kidnapping of her young sons from their father in 2009. Stephen Watkins had been awarded sole custody of his boys two months prior to their disappearance. York Regional Police said, with help from her father, the accused took the boys following her court-ordered weekend with them in March 2009, crossing the border to New York before boarding a flight to Germany then Poland. In 2012, Ustaszewska Watkins’ father was convicted in Newmarket of helping her flee and received an 18-month conditional sentence, including a year under house arrest. He has since died. Watkins eventually tracked his boys down in Poland and petitioned a Warsaw court to return them to Canada. His request was denied when the court ruled the boys were fully integrated into Polish society. The Watkins boys, who are now in their 20s, remained in Europe for years. Their mother has now been ordered by the court not to communicate with them or their father. Ustaszewska Watkins is represented by defence lawyer Anthony Bryant. The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.