A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has refused bail to a man who has refused to pay child support to his ex-wife for the past seven years.

Joseph Power, who owes more than $ 500,000 in child support payments, has been on the run since 2015 from multiple contempt for arrest warrants for failing to attend family court hearings.

He was arrested in Montreal on November 20 and returned to Nova Scotia.

On Monday, Justice Elizabeth Jollimore denied Power’s bail release request until he was convicted on December 21. Power had offered to use his parents’ house as a financial guarantee.

Angela Power, shown in this 2015 photo, is delighted with the decision to refuse bail to her ex-husband, Joseph Power. (CBC)

His former wife Angela Power said she was “very relieved” by the judge’s decision.

“In 2015, despite the fact that he had a wife, a son in school, a home, older parents, a brother and the son we share here at HRM, Mr Power decided to go and go to Denmark and disrupt everyone’s lives, “she told CBC News.

“The only way to make sure he shows up is to keep him incarcerated.”

Long sentence likely, says lawyer

Halifax attorney Igor Yushchenko, who represents Angela Power pro bono, said another high profile case from Nova Scotia could provide clues as to how long a parent can be convicted of failing to pay child support.

Businessman Vrege Armoyan was sentenced to four years in prison for failing to pay his children $ 1.7 million in support in 2015.

“I think that’s reasonable [sentence] will likely take three to five years … based on the precedents, “said Yushchenko.

Angela Power said her ex-husband is a network security professional who has worked for both national governments and major Canadian banks, making hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

“I assume his money is offshore and he can bring it back and pay for it if he decides he wants it,” she said.

Yushchenko said until a sentence is made it makes sense for Power to stay behind bars.

“It is a core principle of the Canadian judicial system that someone must appear in court on this matter, and they have failed to do so so many times … Justice cannot be served if someone does not show up, can it?” he said.

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