EXCLUSIVE:
A mother has been accused of kidnapping two of her four children after allegedly arriving at their foster parents’ home in a white van while they were playing basketball.
The disappearance of the children from Sydney’s west on Saturday afternoon sparked a five-day manhunt until police released a statement on Thursday saying they had been found “safe and sound”.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal their mother – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was arrested and spent the night in police custody before facing Bankstown Local Court via video link on Friday.
She was charged with two counts of taking/retaining a child to deprive parental control and one count of driving with a suspended license.
The mother-of-four still wore the white tank top she was arrested in during her court appearance, as her elderly mother became visibly upset as she watched from the public gallery.
She listened intently as Magistrate Glenn Walsh read her lengthy criminal history to the court and said more than 30 reported risks of harm had been received in relation to the children – who had been known to police since 2009.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal their mother – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was arrested and spent the night in police custody before facing Bankstown Local Court via video link on Friday
The woman’s elderly mother (pictured outside court on Friday) became visibly upset as she watched from the public gallery
These included allegations of neglect, inadequate supervision, dangerous conditions, parental substance abuse and physiological harm.
Magistrate Walsh further told the court that the mother had not accepted the impact her lifestyle had on her children.
He said the children were placed in the state’s care in August 2023 and on September 1.
About two weeks later, the judge said the mother contacted one of her children via text message and allegedly orchestrated their removal from where they were staying.
She said caregivers saw the children playing basketball on Sept. 16. When they checked again ten minutes later, the children were gone.
Magistrate Walsh said the mother ‘refused to assist where the children were’.
Five days later, police found the children with an adult man in a silver Jeep Cherokee, which was different from the white van they allegedly used to kidnap the children.
All were taken to the police station, where the mother refused to participate in a police interrogation.
“There can be no doubt that the intention was to flee, or to bring them here – which would have exposed her and the children,” Magistrate Walsh told the court.
“There can only be one logical reason, and that is to flee.”
He then told the court her criminal history included drug trafficking charges, driving offences, domestic violence and a 12-month prison sentence for drug possession.
She was also on bail for driving with a suspended license and for breaching an AVO when she allegedly kidnapped her children on Saturday.
The mother’s lawyer told the court she intended to plead not guilty and argued for her release on bail. The public prosecutor thought she should remain locked up.
Her lawyer told the court she was the primary caregiver for her mother, who has a range of health problems and is not fluent in English.
It was also alleged that she had previously been in a long-term domestic violence relationship and had untreated mental health problems as a result.
The woman’s mother (pictured) listened as the judge read her daughter’s lengthy criminal history to the court
He described the situation as “sad” because the children’s caregivers were not biologically related to the children, and pointed out that she had not harmed the children while they were allegedly in her care.
The lawyer said there are now anti-violence warrants in force preventing the mother from having any contact with her children, and suggested a number of bail conditions she would have to comply with.
However, the prosecutor described the Crown’s case as “very strong,” in part because of cellphone records that allegedly showed she planned to kidnap the children.
“The phone records show that the suspect (allegedly) goes so far as to tell the children what to say if they are caught,” he said.
“It’s a very strong case.”
Although the kidnapping charges only relate to her two youngest children, the prosecutor said police are still investigating and further charges could be filed involving her two older children.
“These are very serious crimes that attack the very core of the justice system,” he told the court.
He said the state made the decision to remove her children from her care for a reason, saying it was a decision not made lightly.
Magistrate Glenn Walsh denied her bail application, saying the prosecution case appeared strong.
“There is evidence that the children have been taken, that recent property belonging to the children has been taken and the series of text messages,” he told the court.
“It’s an overwhelming Crown case and she is likely to be convicted.”
The mother will next appear at Burwood Local Court in November.