11.32 pm, Tuesday February 14 2012

Americans 'trusting God' in Haiti kidnap

11:11 AEDT Tue Feb 9 2010
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Laura Silsby
Laura Silsby, accused of kidnapping Haiti children, says she is 'trusting God to reveal all truths'.

Also on
pig out payMan makes over $200k eating bay ripperWaterspout strikes land pool ringGold medallist's podium proposal pub attackMan cut with chainsaw love itBeauty looks for Valentine's Day diddly?TV's worst couples

The leader of an American church group, arraigned in court on Monday on kidnapping and conspiracy charges, said she was "trusting God" for the case's outcome and insisted the missionaries would be cleared of wrongdoing.

Laura Silsby, leader of the New Life Children's Refuge, which last month tried to take a busload of children across Haiti's border into the Dominican Republic, was one of five people taken to Haiti's courthouse but the only one to be presented with the prosecutor's case against her.

She later said the three-hour hearing "went very well".

"I am trusting God to reveal all truths, and that we will be released and exonerated of charges," she said.

Silsby added that she and her nine co-defendants "are just waiting for the Haitian legal process" to run its course."

"We're doing very well. God is good. He's sustaining us. We've been given great care," Silsby said.

Court sources said charges against the nine other church members would be heard in court on Tuesday, as would any request to transfer the case to the United States.

The 10 Americans, who hail from the western US state of Idaho, also have a hearing scheduled on Wednesday to iron out any potential contradictions in their accounts of the incident.

A lawyer from the Dominican Republic, Jorge Puello, testified before the court that the group "had legal papers" to enter his country with the 33 minors who were to have been the first occupants of an orphanage that the Christians were trying to establish.

It emerged shortly after the church group's detention 10 days ago however that most of the children had living relatives, and were not orphans.

Haitian officials said they hope to interview most of the children's parents before the end of the week. The head prosecutor can then decide whether to grant them a conditional release.

The judge then has three months to examine the case and reach a final decision.

Edwin Coq, a Haitian lawyer who had been seeking to free the Americans arrested near the border after Haiti's devastating quake, said he quit the case on Saturday after being accused of trying to bribe the judge. He strongly denied the bribery accusation.

His former clients have claimed they meant no ill-intent in taking children they thought were orphans, but some of the children's parents have said they had reached a deal to give away their kids.

The case has distracted attention from the stumbling efforts to help Haitians rebuild their lives amid the ruins left by the January 12 quake, which killed more than 200,000 people.

The 10 Americans belong to the New Life Children's Refuge, a Christian religious organisation whose Haiti mission statement says they planned to "rescue Haitian orphans abandoned on the streets, makeshift hospitals or from collapsed orphanages".

 
Adele at the Grammys (AAP)'Grammy bounce'What's the award worth to the winning artist's earnings? Joey Chestnut (ninemsn)Pig out pay VIDEO: Eating earns Joey Chestnut over $200k a year. Podium proposal VIDEO: Swimmer pops question on stage after race win. Zoo love VIDEO: Ram and deer to wed on Valentine's Day. A young avalanche survivor.Lone survivor VIDEO: Girl pulled from rubble 10 hours after quake. A US judge dozes in court.Dozing in court VIDEO: US judge caught sleeping behind the bench.

Most popular

 Sydney boy dies after being hit by P-platerAn eight-year-old boy has died after being run down by a P-plate driver outside a Sydney school.
 Footage emerges of brawl that led to drowningDramatic footage has emerged of the violent brawl that led to the drowning of a young Sydney man at Darling Harbour on Sunday.
 Teen model 'sorry' for racist Facebook postsA Darwin teen model who has been disqualified from a 'Grid Girls' competition over a racist comment on her Facebook page says she did not realise her comments would be such a big deal.
 Woman in custody after missing kids foundTwo children taken from the NSW central coast have been found safe in the ACT after a member of the public alerted police.
 Magda Szubanski tells the world she is gayFilm and TV star Magda Szubanski has gone on national television to tell Australia she is gay.
 Man charged with stealing baby's ashesA man has been arrested following a burglary last week when the ashes of a four-month-old girl was stolen along with other items.
 WA woman jailed for laundering $100,000A woman who laundered more than $100,000 stolen from Perth's Curtin University has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.
 Children left with 'unqualified carers'Vulnerable children are being left in the hands of unqualified child protection workers because of staff shortages, a forum has heard.
 US swimmer's surprise medal stand proposalA US Olympic swimmer stunned his girlfriend when he dropped to his knee on the medal stand and proposed to her just moments after he won gold at a swim meet.
 Speeding cop tells drivers to slow downQueensland's police chief says he's still committed to a new road safety campaign despite being caught speeding a day after its launch.
advertisement
Be our fan on Facebook
Most Recommended
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete