Townsville Magistrates Court: North Queensland mum makes bail application following child stealing charge

A NQ mum who used a tracking device in a toy and a series of disguises to abduct her own five-year-old child from a foster home has applied for bail in court after being arrested.

Townsville Magistrates Court: North Queensland mum makes bail application following child stealing charge. Picture: istock

A North Queensland mum who used a tracking device and a series of disguises to abduct her own five-year-old child from a foster home has been refused bail in court.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court for ‘child stealing’ on Thursday morning.

The court heard the woman lost custody of her son in August after a court-assessment order, and soon after attended a supervised visit in a park with the child.

Police allege during this visit the woman gave the five-year-old a ‘soft toy’ with a tracking device hidden inside, which was registered to a phone belonging to the woman’s partner.

Police prosecutor Brandon Woods said the couple used this tracking device to monitor the child and track down the address of the foster parents.

“They actively planned, prepared, located and abducted the child and that resulted in a police manhunt over the course of 10 days,” Mr Woods said.

“The defendant went to extensive lengths to conceal her appearance and her mode of transport.”

Mr Woods argued the woman should be denied bail because she was an “unacceptable risk” of interfering with witnesses, the foster parents, and not appearing in court.

Defence lawyer Christopher Blishen from Arnell & Cooper argued the charge of child stealing should be considered less serious because the woman took her own biological child.

Magistrate Kerri Fredericks considered the residential and reporting conditions proposed by the woman’s lawyer in an attempt to reduce the risk of her reoffending, as well as the fact the child was biologically hers.

“Her alleged actions cannot be condoned,” Her Honour said.

“I am not convinced that she is in danger of spending too much time on remand. Even if I am wrong in that, it’s not the only consideration I must have.”

Magistrate Fredericks said she considered the strength of evidence against the woman and believed no bail conditions would reduce the risk of her committing another offence and ultimately denied her bail application.

The woman was remanded in custody and the matter was adjourned to December 20 in Townsville Magistrates Court.

Originally published as Townsville Magistrates Court: North Queensland mum makes bail application following child stealing charge