A Toronto woman, who allegedly enslaved a homeless man, stole his disability cheques, abducted his child and physically abused him and five children in her care, has been deemed fit to stand trial. In September, McMahon had ordered an assessment for Maria Willett, 61, because she had “significant mental health issues,” he said at the time.Willett appeared in court Tuesday in front of Judge John McMahon, her cheeks pinched, face white and shoulders slumped, as he ruled she is medically fit to stand trial. Willett’s six-week, judge-only trial will begin in September 2018 — four years after the charges were laid and a quarter century since the alleged crimes began.“I am very anxious to set a date for this matter,” said Crown attorney Jennifer Strasberg on Tuesday, adding she’s been ready to try Willett since September. “We don’t have anything to say she’s not fit.”Willett faces similar charges to her husband, Gary Willett Sr., including forcible confinement and assault of the man to whom the couple allegedly didn’t provide the necessities of life for nearly 25 years, as well as theft over $5,000 and abduction of a child under the age of 14. Both pleaded not guilty, and Gary is waiting for McMahon’s verdict in January. The allegations against Willett have not been tested in court.Willett’s lawyer Daniel Kayfetz told McMahon at her last appearance in November that the court-appointed specialist had found her to be “exaggerating symptoms when it comes to communication and loss of memory.” Willett was initially going to be tried alongside her husband, but a psychiatrist had advised the court that because of her “mental health challenges” she should undergo further assessment, said the judge in September. The Crown decided to sever the cases. Maria and Gary Willett met the alleged victim, Tim Goldrick (now 57) in the late 1980s when he was scrounging for food in a ...
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