Laura Hinks loses child kidnapping appeal in Supreme Court

A Territory mum who tried to argue that she could not be charged with kidnapping her own five-year-old daughter and going on the run for 12 days has lost her appeal.

Laura Hinks outside the Darwin Local Court where she faced two charges of child kidnapping. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

A mother accused of abducting her child and taking her on the run for 12 days has lost her latest bid to stay the charges, with a judge dismissing her appeal as “incompetent”.

Laura Adele Hinks did not appear for her Supreme Court hearing on Thursday after a woman who “purports to be a friend” wrote to Justice Judith Kelly that the 35-year-old mother was withdrawing her appeal.

“I can’t take notice of that,” Justice Kelly said.

Hinks had been attempting to appeal a decision by the Darwin Local Court which dismissed her application for a permanent stay on two abduction charges.

She had previously argued that a mother could not be guilty of kidnapping her own child.

In August, the five-year-old girl was allegedly bundled into a Toyota Kluger during a supervised visit at Berrimah by her mother.

The court previously heard allegations Hinks’ “mentor”, sovereign citizen and co-accused Juliet Oldroyd, was also involved in the kidnapping and a violent struggle with her father as he tried to intervene.

Hinks allegedly also tried to put her 11-year-old son in the car but he started yelling and calling for help.

Police have alleged a fringe conspiracy group helped hide the five-year-old and her mother for 12 days, with three others named as co-accused.

Laura Adele Hinks outside the Darwin Local Court where her lawyer applied for a charge of abducting her five-year-old daughter to be stayed. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

In April, judge Sue Oliver dismissed Hinks’s application for a stay, setting dates for a four-day hearing for July.

Hinks attempted to challenge Ms Oliver’s decision via the Supreme Court.

However on Thursday Justice Kelly said the appeal could not be made before a final decision.

“An interlocutory decision is not a final decision,” Justice Kelly said.

“This appeal is incompetent.”

There was no discussion of legal costs.

In the brief six-minute hearing, Justice Kelly referenced a similar appeal attempt by the leader of the Territory’s anti-vax movement and “sovereign tribal man”, David Alan Cole.

In that March decision the Supreme Court said the attempt was premature, as the appeals process was to assess potential errors in sentencing or decisions and could not be used before a case was finalised.

Hinks has yet to enter a plea and will return to the local court on July 24.