Monique Ericka Hudson jailed for Yeppoon shopping centre carjacking, abduction

A mother who had her car stolen with her baby in the back seat by a driver high on meth has revealed the devastating aftermath of the crime, saying she has ‘lost all sense of safety and security’, while her partner has quit his job to care for her.

A court has heard the harrowing details of what happened to a young mother, and the bystanders who came to her aid, when a drug addict stole her car from a shopping centre carpark with her three-month-old baby in the back seat.

The “undoubtedly terrifying” and “traumatic” ordeal has left the infant’s mother “fighting feelings of fear” having she lost “all sense of safety and security” to the point her husband had to stop work to take care of her.

Monique Ericka Hudson, 25, had travelled from Berserker on the morning of the carjacking and child abduction at a Yeppoon shopping centre, the Rockhampton District Court heard on February 15.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said CCTV showed Hudson and her co-offender, Christopher Travis Lee Tremaine, arriving at the plaza at 11.55am on April 19, 2023, and driving through the carpark moments before the carjacking in a black Mazda.

The alleged offender captured on CCTV at Yeppoon Central before the incident.

Ms Lawrence said the Mazda stopped and Hudson got out of the Mazda.

CCTV footage played to the district court showed Hudson casually walking up to the grey Nissan Patrol before hopping in the passenger’s side and sliding over to the driver’s seat and speeding off, leaving a trail of groceries falling out of the back hatch.

The distraught mother can be seen chasing after the stolen patrol before it exits the screen.

Ms Lawrence said the mother “understandably started panicking”.

HUDSON SCREAMED AT MUM TO GET BABY OUT OF CAR

The CCTV footage showed many bystanders coming to the aid of the distraught mother before Hudson drove back, in the wrong direction, to the mother and screamed at the young woman to get the baby out of the car.

“The victim and the others tried to do so but every time they reached the door, the defendant drove away,” Ms Lawrence said.

“The victim and other bystanders continually raced after the car to try and retrieve the baby, but each time the defendant would speed up and drive away.”

The video showed Hudson driving the vehicle dangerous through the busy carpark, going around a car stopped at an intersection, almost hitting an oncoming car from the opposite direction and narrowly missing a person walking across the road.

Judge Jeff Clarke said some of the bystanders were mothers holding infants in their arms, and the man who did get the baby out of the stolen car had his foot run over by Hudson.

He said motorists and pedestrians had to take evasive actions due to Hudson’s driving manner.

Monique Ericka Hudson.

“You collected one woman who tried to wave you down, to get you to stop, and she suffered cracked ribs,” Judge Clarke said.

SISTER HOLDING HER BABY ALMOST HIT BY CAR

“That lady had pushed her own sister out of the way or she would have been hit by the car.

“The sister was holding her baby.
“Yet another woman holding a baby had to take evasive action and run out of the way of the car (Hudson) was driving erratically and quite fast.

“You ran over another lady causing grazes and leaving tyre tracks on her.

“You collided with another car, scratching it.”

After about three minutes of speeding, erratic driving around the car park, Hudson stopped at McDonald’s and a male bystander grabbed the baby out of the car.

Hudson drove over his foot as she sped off.

Ms Lawrence said this would have been “undoubtedly terrifying experience” for the baby’s mother.

The Nissa. Patrol was found later that day 20 kilometres away, abandoned in bushland at Bungundarra with scratch marks.

Police identified Hudson through CCTV and arrested her that day, finding her in possession of some of the items seen in the CCTV footage.

DRIVER TOLD POLICE SHE WAS HIGH ON METH

Ms Lawrence said Hudson told police she was high on methamphetamines.

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said Hudson was homeless and stealing things to fund her drug habit at the time of the offence.

She said Hudson, who worked at Foodworks in Rockhampton for six years after completing Year 10 at Yeppoon High School, had started using marijuana when she was 15 and escalated to meth.

Ms Marsden said her client’s life spiralled out of control, became unemployed and homeless.

Ms Marsden said Hudson had been in denial about her mental health and drugs problems, but since her incarceration, she had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and Borderline personality disorder and was now on medication to treat both conditions.

She said her client plans to relocate to Moranbah with family when released from custody and get a job at the mines cleaning.

Ms Marsden said since her incarceration, Hudson has had time to reflect and accepts the seriousness of her offending, and how shocking it would have been for the greater community.

‘DID NOT SEE BABY INITIALLY’

She said Hudson did not see the baby in the car initially as it was in a rear facing capsule.

Ms Marsden said once she did realise, she panicked.

Judge Clarke said Hudson should have desisted from her offending, gotten out of the vehicle and left the area, rather than drive dangerously around the confined carpark, causing injuries and harm to others.

Ms Marsden said her client, who was a mother of two boys, felt lots guilt and shame at her actions and had written a letter of apology.

Judge Clarke accepted the letter of apology showed Hudson was remorseful.

“The impact of your selfish offending has been profound,” he said.

Judge Clarke said the mother’s victim impact statement talked of the anxiety he believes she should never have had to suffer.

VICTIM SUFFERING NIGHTMARES

He said her partner had to stop working to care for her.

“She’s experienced fighting feelings of fear, nightmares, suffering detriment to her overall sense of safety and security,” Judge Clarke said.

Hudson pleaded guilty to one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abducting a child and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Judge Clarke sentenced her to three years prison, declared 302 days presentence custody as time served and set parole release on April 19, 2024.

She has outstanding matters to be finalised in the magistrates court on March 4.

Ms Lawrence said Tremaine had been dealt with for “a litany of other offences” and this, but his “criminality” in this was not to the same level as Hudson’s.