Laura Hinks raises legal challenges as trial draws closer for alleged kidnapping of Grace Hughes

Grace Hughes was just five years old when she was allegedly abducted by her mum, sparking a nationwide search. Now, she’ll give evidence in the trial of five people charged over her kidnapping.

Laura Adele Hinks faces the Supreme Court in Darwin charged with the alleged abduction of her daughter Grace Hughes in 2022. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The five-year-old girl who was at the centre of a nationwide search after being allegedly abducted from a supervised parental visit in Darwin will give evidence at the trial of five people charged over her kidnapping.

Grace Hughes, now aged six, was missing for 12 days after she was allegedly kidnapped by her mother Laura Adele Hinks, 36, during a visit with her mum in Berrimah on August 7, 2022.

The court previously heard allegations Hinks’ “mentor”, sovereign citizen and co-accused Juliet Marie Oldroyd, 51, was also involved in the alleged kidnapping, and a violent struggle with Grace’s father, as he tried to intervene before the girl was bundled into a Toyota Kluger.

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

Angela Rita Marcus was one of three co-accused charged with aiding in the abduction of five-year-old Grace Hughes. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Police have alleged a fringe conspiracy group helped hide Grace and her mother, with three others named as co-accused: 50-year-old Angela Rita Marcus, and Katherine-region couple Annette, 68, and Philip James Howie, 70.

The trio were originally accused of abducting a child but had their charges downgraded to aiding another to commit an offence.

Annette Howie. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Phillip Howie. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

During a pre-trial hearing at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Chief Justice Michael Grant told the lawyers for the five co-accused to work together to minimise cross-examination of Grace during her prerecorded evidence.

“I would be disappointed if this child has to go through five full-throated, repetitive episodes of cross-examination at this prerecord, and I won’t permit it,” he said.

Juliet Marie Oldroyd, 51.

Hinks’ lawyer, Glenn Mohammed, said there were several issues they intended to raise ahead of the trial, including “ambiguity of the Territory law” regarding parental custody, the jurisdiction of the NT Supreme Court to deal with the matter, and changes in the position of prosecution which caused “delay and unfairness to Ms Hinks”.

The five co-accused remain on bail and trial dates have been scheduled for November.

Originally published as Laura Hinks raises legal challenges as trial draws closer for alleged kidnapping of Grace Hughes