
Two women have been found guilty of abducting a four-year-old girl and assaulting her mother at Tolland following a two-day jury trial in Wagga District Court.
The jury returned its verdict late Thursday afternoon after deliberating for just under an hour.
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A 30-year-old woman, from Tolland, and a 22-year-old woman, from Forbes, had pleaded not guilty to counts of child abduction, entering a dwelling with intent to commit a serious offence aggravated by knowing people were present, and common assault.
The offences occurred on October 25, 2020 when the two women forced their way into a Tolland home by pushing open the front door, struck the mother and took her child from the house.
The mother was left with a bloodstained shirt after being hit on the nose and the child was returned by police within 24 hours.
The Daily Advertiser has not named the offenders for legal reasons.
Earlier on Thursday, the women's solicitors and the prosecutor gave their addresses to the jury.
Solicitors for the two women told the jury that their clients' actions were motivated out of concern that the child was at imminent risk of injury or death at the hands of the mother, who is a relative.
Crown Prosecutor Max Pincott said the women had arrived at the Tolland home with a clear intention of taking the child and with no plans to talk about allegations that the mother had strangled her.
"Their intentions might have been pure, but [the women] acted like vigilantes," Mr Pincott told the jury.
The younger woman's solicitor, Harriet Skinner, told the jury her client "acted like a loving [family member] concerned about the welfare of their [young relative]".
"Theirs is an Aboriginal family and in that cultural context you might find it was reasonable not to contact authorities about their concerns given the history we all know about of Aboriginal children being taken from families," Ms Skinner said.
The older woman's solicitor, Eugene Renard, told the jury his client had to "act with speed" and push their way into the home to defend a child she believed was in danger.
"They didn't have time to make tea and talk it over," he said.
The two offenders broke into tears and embraced a supporter in the public gallery after the verdicts of guilty on all counts were read out.
Judge Gordon Lerve thanked the jury members for performing their civic duty and reaching a decision in a case that involved complex issues.
Judge Lerve ordered that bail continue for the two offenders and adjourned the case until May 6 to determine a date for a sentencing hearing.
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Rex Martinich
Journalist for the Daily Advertiser in Wagga Wagga covering politics and data. Mobile: 0437 853 137 Email: rex.martinich@dailyadvertiser.com.au
Journalist for the Daily Advertiser in Wagga Wagga covering politics and data. Mobile: 0437 853 137 Email: rex.martinich@dailyadvertiser.com.au