The woman accused of abducting an infant on May 24 when the child was just nine days old, was on Thursday last granted $300,000 bail in the High Court.
Baitoon Hussain, 47, called ‘Debbie’ of Mahdia was released from custody following the successful bail application by her attorney Rodwell Jagmohan in the Berbice jurisdiction of the Supreme Court before Justice Brassington Reynolds. During the bail hearing, State Prosecutor Renita Singh objected to bail. She told the court that the offence was a serious one and based its nature and gravity, she did not believe bail should be granted.
The state prosecutor further argued that the accused lives at Mahdia and there is every possibility that she may not return for her trial.
Jagmohan reminded the court that the offence is a bailable one and it is his c client’s constitutional right to get bail. He further assured the court that his client is not a flight risk.
Justice Reynolds, in granting bail, told Hussain that she has report to the Whim Police station every Monday.
Hussain was denied bail on three occasions by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh in the Whim Magistrate’s Court.
The woman had pleaded not guilty to the offence after she was charged under Section 90 (a) of the Criminal Offences Act Chapter 8:01. The charge read to Hussain stated that on Saturday, May 24, in the vicinity of Port Mourant, she took away the baby of Sandra McLean with the intent to deprive the woman of her then nine-day-old baby boy.
According to reports, the accused had presented herself to McLean as ‘Bibi Khan’ while the young woman was still a patient of the Skeldon Public Hospital, having just given birth. Hussain subsequently visited McLean at her home and later offered to take her and the baby shopping for items for his nine-day celebration, reports said.
It was alleged that Hussain disappeared with the baby after assuring McLean that she would keep him while she (McLean) went to purchase fish.
Nine days later, police, acting on an anonymous tip, found Hussain and the baby at Chesney Front, Corentyne home, where she had reportedly been pretending that the child was hers.
