Mum jailed after refusing to give up information in search for toddler Hoang Vinh Le

A Sydney mother has been jailed for contempt of court after refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her son, saying she gave him to a woman along with $200 in a Sydney shop.

A woman who claims to have handed her baby son to a woman in a Sydney convenience store has been ­jailed for six months after ­refusing to reveal the whereabouts of the boy.

Lyn Kim Do, 21, was this week sentenced to six months’ jail after being found guilty of contempt in the Federal ­Circuit and Family Court of Australia, following a “deliberate breach” of an order that ­required her to disclose any ­information about the whereabouts of her 19-month-old son Hoang Vinh Le.

Lyn Kim Do has been jailed for six months after being found guilty of contempt in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

Do initially told the court that she gave her baby to a woman named “Kathy Nguyen” on May 19, 2021. She said they met at a coffee shop on Hill St in Cabramatta and that she handed the baby over to the woman along with $200 to care for him for the night.

Do and the baby’s father Hoang Thanh Le, 28, were arrested by police the following day, however the boy couldn’t be found and has not been seen since.

Do and Le have not provided sufficient details to enable police to identify the person who they say is caring for Vinh, or whether “Kathy Nguyen” exists at all.

The little boy’s disappearance came after the court made orders on April 19 that Vinh be ­returned to live with his ­maternal grandmother.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia are seeking public assistance to help locate 19-month-old baby, Hoang Vinh Le.

In a sworn affidavit Do said she left Vinh with his godmother because she could not give him the care he needed and she did not want him to live with her mother.

While the parents are from Western Sydney, police believe the baby may have been in Cabramatta, Bankstown, Liverpool, West Wyalong, Tem­ora and Wagga Wagga.

In a sentencing judgment ­released by the court this week, Justice Shane Gill said Do’s withholding of information about her son’s whereabouts is a “matter of grave seriousness”.

Lyn Kim Do, 21, and her husband Hoang Thanh Le, 28 pictured with baby Hoang Vinh Le.

“The path that you have chosen does not do Vinh any good. If you want to challenge who he is to live with then this is the place to make that challenge, not by hiding him away out of reach of the court,” Justice Gill said.

“Make it right and make it right soon, Ms Do. While Vinh remains missing this matter is not ended. It does not end at you having served six months imprisonment.”

“This is a matter that will continue while ever he remains missing.”

He also criticised the police involvement in the search for little Vinh saying the investigation “has been at times sloppy and it is unclear what enthusiasm they have mustered for the task.”

It is the second time Ms Do has been jailed for contempt related to her son Vinh, after she received a custodial term of one week due to her noncompliance with orders regarding Vinh.

In his judgment, Justice Gill said Ms Do could have the matter relisted before the court “at short notice” if she revealed information about her son’s whereabouts- which would end her sentence.

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