Angela Marcus faces Darwin court over Grace Hughes’ alleged kidnapping

Charges have been downgraded against a woman accused of helping hide a five-year-old Darwin girl in the wake of her alleged kidnapping.

Charges have been downgraded against a woman accused of helping hide a five-year-old Darwin girl in the wake of her alleged kidnapping.

Angela Rita Marcus appeared briefly in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday for a first mention before Judge David Woodroffe over the alleged kidnapping of Grace Hughes.

Marcus was initially charged with abducting a child under 16, but that was downgraded to aiding another to commit an offence.

Police will allege the 48-year-old helped in the immediate wake of Grace’s kidnapping, helping from Sunday, August 7, to Tuesday, August 9.

Grace was allegedly taken from a supervised parental visit at a Hidden Valley Rd address in Berrimah at 1pm Sunday, August 7.

Police have previously alleged an unknown group claimed it was helping abduct and hide Grace and her mother, Laura Hinks.

For 12 days Grace and her mother were missing, as police around the country made appeals for the five-year-old’s safe return.

A person allegedly connected to a fringe conspiracy group handed Grace in to Darwin police on August 19.

Marcus’s first hearing matter lasted less than a minute, with her case adjourned to October 4 to allow her time to get a lawyer.

Marcus is one of five people charged over the 12-day disappearance of Grace.

Grace’s mother Laura Hinks and 50-year-old Juliet Marie Oldroyd were both charged with abduction.

A 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man are also due before Darwin Local Court in October charged in relation to the alleged kidnapping.