Laura Hinks found guilty of ‘violent and traumatic’ kidnapping of five-year-old daughter, and attempted abduction of son
A Darwin mother who became embedded with ‘conspiracy theorists’ has been found guilty of kidnapping her daughter and taking her on the run for 13 days, in an explosive Supreme Court trial.
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UPDATE, Thursday November 14: A Darwin mother surrounded by ‘conspiracy theorists’ has been found guilty of the “violent and traumatic” kidnapping of her five-year-old daughter and hiding her in the outback for days.
After just 70 minutes of deliberation, a Supreme Court jury unanimously found Laura Adele Hinks guilty of kidnapping her daughter Grace and the attempted abduction of her 11-year-old son, Phoenix, on August 7, 2022.
As her fate was read out the Darwin mother began rocking back and forth in the dock and shaking, while her emotional supporters started to tear up.
Over four days of evidence the jury heard the 34-year-old mother had concerns for her children’s welfare while in the care of their father, David Hughes.
Despite a police investigation completely clearing Mr Hughes of any wrongdoing, Hinks remained convinced something was “desperately wrong”.
Over eight months Hinks made multiple reports to police, to the point where she was told she was emotionally abusing and “coaching” the children to make allegations against their father.
Prosecutor Ian Read said due to Hinks’s own childhood trauma of abuse she became “hypervigilant” to the point of obsession, ignoring the “voices of reasons” of her friends and investigating authorities.
Defence barrister Nicola MacCarron said Hinks was living “a mother’s worst nightmare” before she was introduced to her co-accused Juliet Oldroyd, who promised to be her “advocate”.
Ms MacCarron said after months of Hinks feeling like “every door (was) slamming in her face”, the offer of help from this 50-year-old with her “particular quirks” offered her hope.
But Mr Read said once she became involved with the “sovereign citizens”, Hinks was no longer “interested in going through legitimate means”.
“She and conspiratorial friends simply took the law into their own hands,” Mr Read said.
“She was fed up because she didn’t get what she wanted.”
Ms Oldroyd’s trial is anticipated to run next year.
Hinks said in a “snap decision” she agreed to take her children from the supervised visit at the Berrimah CatholicCare centre, rather than returning them to their father.
But her 11-year-old, who has autism, became dysregulated when Ms Oldroyd allegedly tried to get him in a car with his sister and mother.
His screams caused Mr Hughes to run to the car park, with CCTV footage capturing their struggle to stop Hinks from taking Grace away.
The Darwin dad said he was able to get Grace in his arms when Hinks grabbed her daughter.
The jury heard the little girl was caught in a tug-of-war between her two parents, her little voice calling out: “They’re hurting me, I feel sick Dad, they’re hurting me”.
“I ended up just telling her ‘I love her’ and I let her go … because they were hurting her,” Mr Hughes said.
It would take another 13 days — and a nationwide search — before he saw her again.
Mr Read said Grace was initially taken to a Nakara home, before she was driven to a remote cattle station in the Douglas Daly region until August 19.
Ms Hinks repeatedly told the jury she was acting out of concern for her children’s welfare, but Mr Read said it was a “violent and traumatic taking of the children with no regard for their safety or emotional wellbeing”.
During cross examination Mr Read repeatedly asked Hinks why she did not call police or lawyers after running off with her daughter.
The Darwin mother said since they had “failed” her for eight months: “Why would they help me now?”.
The jury found it was not “reasonable” or “defensive conduct” for Hinks to snatch her daughter or attempt to kidnap her son.
Despite the guilty verdict, Mr Read said prosecution would not be fighting to lock up the Darwin mother, instead suggesting an intensive community corrections order.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Grant told Hinks she would require a psychiatric assessment ahead of any sentencing decision
The matter was adjourned to February 14.
Darwin mum’s ‘snap decision’ in alleged kidnapping plot
UPDATE, Wednesday November 13: A Darwin mother said she made a “snap decision” out of desperation when she allegedly kidnapped her five-year-old daughter and hid her with ‘sovereign citizens’ for 13 days.
Laura Adele Hinks took to the stand on the third day of her Supreme Court trial, where she pleaded not guilty to kidnapping her daughter Grace and the attempted abduction of her 11-year-old son Phoenix on August 7, 2022.
On Wednesday, Ms Hinks told the jury she became concerned about Grace’s welfare in December 2021 after the young girl made concerning allegations to her about her treatment in her father David Hughes’s care.
Ms Hinks said she took these allegations and recordings of Grace to the police.
The jury heard an extensive investigation into the allegations completely cleared Mr Hughes of any wrongdoing.
The 34-year-old Darwin mum made several reports to police over the next few days — and continued to do so for months — and was accused of “coaching” her children to make accusations.
Ms Hinks said police accused her of emotionally abusing her children.
“(An officer) advised me that I was not to report any more disclosures made by Grace,” Ms Hinks said.
Ms Hinks said cops told her they had serious concerns about her mental health, and she went to Darwin Hospital where she was medically cleared and discharged.
Ms Hinks said she still felt “something was very wrong”, started seeking her own legal advice, and sent an email to the entire legislative assembly.
“As you can imagine, my heart was completely shattered,” she said.
Ms Hinks said it had been more than five months and she was feeling “quite desperate” when she first met her co-accused Juliet Oldroyd and her husband, Craig Oldroyd — who is not accused of any wrongdoing.
“They wanted to help advocate for me … to make sure I was being treated fairly,” she said.
The jury heard a friend of Ms Hinks was concerned she was surrounded by “sovereign citizens”, and in her police interview the mother said things started to “get hairy” when Ms Oldroyd became more involved.
Ms Hinks said it was Mr Oldroyd who first suggested “just taking the children” a week before the alleged kidnapping, and initially said she was not on board.
But on the morning of her supervised parental visit at the Berrimah CatholicCare centre, Ms Hinks said a text flashed on her phone: “Are you feeling bold?”.
Ms Hinks said she was surprised and replied “No”, but then Ms Oldroyd wrote “Do you know what Christ wants us to do?”
“I don’t know I should,” Ms Hinks replied.
“Do you trust me?” Oldroyd asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
Ms Hinks in that “snap decision”, she agreed to the alleged kidnapping plot.
She said it ended up being a “traumatic” incident with her autistic son reacting badly, screaming as he tried to stop his mother and the 50-year-old stranger from putting he and his sister in the car.
Ms Hinks said she trusted Ms Oldroyd’s plan, stating: “I honestly believed some sort of help was coming”.
The jury was shown Ms Oldroyd’s recorded police interview where she proclaimed to be a “international child advocate” and “whistle blower”.
Ms Oldroyd said she had repeatedly ordered cops to arrest her — and had once refused to leave and locked herself in the police station toilet — despite also claiming she needed “diplomatic immunity”.
“I’m here because I’m whistleblowing on systematic corruption in this government and system, and I want you to take me into protective custody because I don’t feel safe,” Ms Oldroyd said.
“I want you to protect me from them … someone could walk in this door right now and shoot me to shut me up.
“I’m making high level disclosures here.”
Ms Oldroyd said she took full responsibility for the alleged kidnapping, stating: “All this was me, it was my decision”.
“I took advantage of the mother’s mental state. I ordered her what to do, and I ordered her to get in the car,” she told police.
Ms Oldroyd refused to tell police the pair’s location, telling officers the case was “bigger than you”.
“Do you really think if I am whistleblowing on systematic corruption … that I’m going to tell the police where that child (is)?”,
“Are you f—king stupid, I’m sorry I’m not disrespectful, but are you crazy?
“That kid will be killed — I honestly believe that — if we were to divulge where that child is right now.”
Ms Oldroyd’s trial is anticipated to run next year.
The trial continues.
‘Sovereign citizens’ allegedly helped mum kidnap little girl
UPDATE, Tuesday November 12: A Darwin mum’s fears about her daughter’s safety led her to become enmeshed in a network of “sovereign citizen” conspiracy theorists, a Supreme Court jury has heard.
Laura Hinks has maintained she was acting “reasonably” when she and a 50-year-old woman, Juliet Oldroyd, allegedly snatched her five-year-old daughter Grace from Berrimah on August 7, 2022.
On Tuesday, the jury heard a group helped the 34-year-old mum and Grace escape Darwin and hide on a remote Territory cattle station for 13 days — sparking a nationwide missing persons search.
Ms Hinks has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping, and the attempted abduction of her 11-year-old son, Phoenix.
Ms Oldroyd’s trial is anticipated to run next year.
Defence barrister Nicola MacCarron told the jury Ms Hinks had concerns about her daughter’s safety while staying with her father, David Hughes.
Ms Hinks’ friend Jedidiah Hansen said he noticed the children were “frequently misbehaving, dishevelled, dirty and hadn’t been fed” after their visits with Mr Hughes, and had recorded Grace talking about her dad.
The former Country Liberal Party vice president and Ms Hinks said they reported their concerns to NT Police in late 2021.
The jury heard an investigation into the allegations completely cleared Mr Hughes, and he is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Ms Hinks told police instead of taking her concerns seriously, she was accused of “coaching” her children to say things and had her “mental health used against me”.
Mr Hansen said around this time he became aware his friend was increasingly surrounded by people that were “a little bit crazy”.
“Laura is not ideological or political, so sovereign citizens and her were not something that I thought jelled,” he said.
Mr Hansen said during one meeting with authorities they were joined by Craig Oldroyd — Ms Oldroyd’s husband — and David Cole, who almost immediately started “preaching and making some very strange allegations”.
Mr Oldroyd and Mr Cole are not accused of any wrongdoing in this matter.
Mr Hansen said he told Ms Hinks to distance herself from them and seek professional legal advice.
Ms Hinks told police things started to “get hairy” when Ms Oldroyd became more involved, “because she was so passionate”.
She said it was Ms Oldroyd’s plan to take Grace, and just before the alleged abduction had texted her: “Are you feeling bold?”.
Mobile phone footage from right before the alleged kidnapping appeared to show Ms Oldroyd threatening Mr Hughes with the wrath of God.
“God wants you to know that you can run, but you can’t hide,” she was heard saying.
Mr Hughes told the stranger berating him in the carpark: “My children are the most important thing to me”.
After Ms Oldroyd drove off, the next thing he heard was her horn beeping and the screams of his son.
The jury watched chaotic CCTV footage of Mr Hughes and his son struggling to stop Ms Hinks and Ms Oldroyd from taking away Grace.
In a recorded police interview, Ms Hinks said she trusted Ms Oldroyd and the older woman's network of allies, even though she did not know any of them.
After staying at a Nakara home, Ms Hinks and Grace were moved to a remote cattle station in the Douglas Daly region.
“I trusted Juliet, so I trusted that these were really nice, trustworthy people who would keep us safe,” she said.
After Ms Oldroyd’s arrest, Ms Hinks got in contact with Mr Hansen to take she and Grace to Australian Federal Police.
In her interview, Ms Hinks told police she was confused how she could be charged with the abduction of her own children.
“It’s a mother’s worst nightmare that this is happening,” she said.
“I’m not the one who has done something wrong … It’s madness.”
The trial continues on Wednesday.
Five-year-old’s final words before alleged kidnapping
INITIAL, Monday November 11: A Darwin father broke down into tears remembering his son’s screams and his five-year-old daughter’s final words before her alleged kidnapping: “I feel sick Dad, they’re hurting me”.
Prosecutors alleged Territory mum Laura Hinks ‘took the law into her own hands’ by snatching her daughter Grace and attempting to abduct her 11-year-old son Phoenix from a supervised parental visit at Berrimah on August 7, 2022.
Members of the jury gasped as they watched CCTV footage of the alleged kidnapping on the first day of the Supreme Court trial in Darwin on Monday.
The security cameras captured the chaos as David Hughes and his 11-year-old son struggled to stop the 34-year-old mum and her co-accused Juliet Oldroyd before they allegedly bundled the five year old into the car and sped off.
Ms Hinks has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping and attempted abduction charges, while Ms Oldroyd’s trial is anticipated to run next year.
CatholicCare manager Catherine Cross told the jury how the ‘normal’ supervised visit descended into a “violent outburst” within minutes, after Ms Hinks and Ms Oldroyd led the children towards a waiting car, rather than to their father.
Worker Lovelyn Lazarus said as Ms Hinks led the confused young girl out she comforted her saying: “You’re going to a safe place. Don’t worry you’ll be fine”.
The court heard Phoenix, who has autism, started to struggle as Ms Oldroyd grabbed his hand and yelled out: “What’s happening? What’s going on? … who the f—k are you?” and “Dad, Dad help”.
Mr Hughes told the jury he ran to the sound of his son yelling out, and saw his daughter pointing towards him and crying.
He said his path was blocked by Ms Oldroyd “who was trying to grab me”.
CCTV footage allegedly showed Mr Hughes and the 50-year-old woman pushing and scuffling, with Ms Oldroyd appearing to pull off his shirt while dragging him away from his children.
Mr Hughes said at one point he managed to get Grace in his arms, and was trying to call back Phoenix, when Ms Hinks grabbed her daughter’s other arm.
The jury heard the little girl was caught in a tug-of-war between her two parents.
“She was saying ‘They’re hurting me, I feel sick Dad, they’re hurting me’,” Mr Hughes said through tears.
“I ended up just telling her ‘I love her’ and I let her go … because they were hurting her”.
He then watched as Grace was driven away in a stranger’s car.
It would take another 13 days — and a nationwide search — before he saw her again.
Prosecutor Ian Read said Grace was initially taken to a Nakara home, before she was driven to a remote cattle station in the Douglas Daly region until August 19.
Mr Read said Ms Hinks surrendered herself to the Federal Police, and “little Grace was thankfully OK, and had been well looked after”.
Both Mr Read and defence barrister Nicola MacCarron agreed the four-day trial would boil down to a simple question: were the Territory mother’s actions “reasonable”.
Ms MacCarron said there were exemptions under the law, meaning if someone had reasonable fears for their own or other’s safety they could take action that in other circumstances would be considered “criminal conduct”.
The jury heard that in 2021 Ms Hinks made allegations about her ex-partner which were investigated by NT Police.
Mr Hughes was completely cleared by the investigations, and he became the sole parent of their two children.
Ms Hinks was meant to see her children only through weekly supervised visits, however CatholicCare manager Ms Cross acknowledged due to the centre’s capacity limits she was only able to see her kids fortnightly.
Mr Read said this chaotic encounter was a product of the imperfect system following a relationship breakdown.
“It may not be perfect, but we do have that machinery, and we are obliged to abide by it,” he said.
“This is a case of people taking the law into their own hands.”
The trial continues on Tuesday.
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