Sudbury crown: 'The only thing that's missing here is the actual grabbing of the child' - Action News
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Sudbury

Sudbury crown: 'The only thing that's missing here is the actual grabbing of the child'

A Sudbury judge is now tasked with deciding whether Michael Tomasik planned to abduct and sexually assault a child or if he only talked about it.

35-year-old is facing 10 charges, including counselling someone to abduct a child

The Criminal Trial Lawyers Association and the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association are speaking out about the impending cancellation of a rehabilitation program for sex offenders. (Supplied)

A Sudbury judge is now deciding whether MichaelTomasikplanned to abduct and sexually assault a child or if he only talkedabout it.

Friday saw the closing arguments in the trial against the 35-year-old Sudbury man who is facing 10 charges, including counseling someone to abduct and sexually assault a child, and arranging to have sex with a minor.

Assistant crown attorney JulieLefebvrerecounted howTomasikdiscussed having sex with children with people on websites and with Sudbury prostitutes going back as far as 2007.

"The plan in his mind is soimportanthe was willing to give up his liberty...and forgo the harm it would cause to others to accomplish it," she said.

Tomasikrepeatedly stated in court that this was always just "sexual role play" and never something he intended to follow through.

ButLefebvreargued that text messages to a prostitute in January 2014 outlined a complete plan, including where and when it would happen, which girl they would target and what they would do to her.

"The only thing that's missing hereis the actual grabbing of the child," saidLefebvre.

"It never went beyond their conversations."

But defence lawyerDarrenBerlinguetteargued that the girl being discussed was only a "template" based on a five-year-old the prostitute knew and that the other details were never cemented, meaning there was never a conclusive plan to kidnap a child.

"There's no specific plan. There's no specific where or when," he said.

Berlinguettealso pointed out that whileTomasikand the prostitute do negotiate a price of $500 for abducting a child and having sex with her, the money never exchanged hands, meaning the contract was never real.

"Despite all these text messages...the only money that's exchanged is the $40 for sex," he said.

Even ifTomasikbelieved it to all be part of a role play,Justice PatriciaHennessywondered is the prostitute might go through with it anyway.

"Is he prepared to be reckless, let the chips fall where they may and maybe she'll do it?" she asked.

"It never went beyond their conversations,"Berlinguettestressed.

Hennessywill now deliberate on the evidence. A date has not yet been set for her to deliver her verdict.