Laura Hinks, Juliet Oldroyd head for trial as bid to stay five-year-old’s kidnap case fails

New details about a Darwin mother’s alleged kidnapping of her own daughter reveal her co-accused allegedly ‘put the father in a headlock’ as the child’s brother desperately fought to protect her.

Laura Hinks will face trial alongside Juliet Oldroyd in July. Picture: Floss Adams.

A Darwin mother who allegedly abducted her five-year-old daughter and tried to abduct her 11-year-old son will face a four-day trial in July after a bid for a permanent stay was rejected.

Laura Hinks applied for the stay in the Darwin Local Court in March, on the ground that a mother could not be found guilty of kidnapping her own child.

But in ruling the case should proceed to trial, judge Sue Oliver said Hinks did not have parental responsibility for the boy on the day, while her responsibility for the girl “had clearly been limited”.

“It is a matter of common knowledge that the biological relationship of ‘mother’ or ‘father’ does not always carry with it full parental rights, as these can be altered by court orders, among other things,” she said.

In handing down her findings, Ms Oliver also revealed new details about the children’s desperate struggle to avoid allegedly being forcibly removed from a supervised visit by Hinks in August last year.

After the scheduled visit, Ms Oliver said Hinks left the visitation room holding the children’s hands, but instead of returning them to their father, she “turned right towards the exit”.

“The visitation supervisor challenged the defendant about what she was doing and told her it was time to take the children back to their father,” she said.

“She was ignored and the party proceeded to a Toyota Kluger that (co-accused Juliet) Oldroyd had parked at the front of the visitation centre.”

Ms Oliver said the little girl told Hinks she was supposed to go with her father and started walking the other way when Hinks scooped her up and put her in the car.

The five-year-old then got back out of the vehicle while Hinks tried to put her brother in the car as he “resisted”, and she again placed the little girl back in the car.

“(The boy) started yelling and called for help from his father, (he) removed his sister from the vehicle, he started striking towards Oldroyd,” she said.

“The father then ran to the vehicle and picked up (the girl), the defendant attempted to pull her from his arms.

“Oldroyd intervened, placing her arms around the father’s neck to try and pull him away from the defendant, the father let go of (the girl) to avoid her being harmed.

“Oldroyd then put the father in a headlock and pushed him against the wall, the (boy) attempted to intervene, striking Oldroyd to her body.”

Eventually, Ms Oliver said Oldroyd and Hinks managed to get the girl into the car and drive away while the older child remained behind with his father.

Hinks and Oldroyd will now return to court on July 24.