A pregnant teenager who allegedly helped to stab and kidnap a woman during a horrific 12-hour ordeal still has the full support of her family, who maintain she is innocent.
Latia Henderson, 18, remains behind bars accused of helping her friend Kayley Lee Ketley, 24, stab and kidnap Nisha Phillips, also 24, from a home in Claymore, southwest Sydney, on February 3.
Phillips was allegedly stuffed into the boot of her own Holden Commodore and only managed to escape after she kicked out the tail light and caught the attention of a passing truckie, who called the police.
Henderson is 20 weeks pregnant and was refused bail when she last appeared in court in late February.
Her matter was briefly mentioned on Wednesday in Campbelltown Local Court, and while she wasn’t scheduled to appear, a group of her devoted friends and family filed into the courthouse to show their support.
Her mother told Daily Mail Australia outside of court the duo were not guilty.
Latia Henderson, 18, remains behind bars accused of helping her friend Kayley Lee Ketley, 24, stab and kidnap Nisha Phillips, also 24, from a home in Claymore, western Sydney, on February 3
Kayley Ketley (pictured) also remains behind bars
Her matter was briefly mentioned on Wednesday in Campbelltown Local Court, and while she wasn’t scheduled to appear, a group of her devoted friends and family filed into the courthouse to show their support
Henderson’s mother defended her innocence outside of court
She clutched the hand of a little girl and was supported by her own mother, Henderson’s grandmother, as she made the defiant claim.
‘We don’t need to make any comments because they’re not guilty,’ she said. Henderson’s grandmother then said they had nothing else to discuss on the matter.
Henderson has now spent nine weeks behind bars since her February 3 arrest and has endured much of her first pregnancy alone in jail.
She has this week reached the halfway mark.
The court heard prosecutors were awaiting electronic interview with the alleged victim and expert medical records before proceeding.
Henderson was not required to appear when her matter was heard in court on Wednesday after revealing she was pregnant on the last occasion.
Henderson applied for bail at her last hearing but the magistrate refused, citing her extensive ‘history of violence’ and determining she posed a risk to the community.
Both Henderson and Ketley are charged with unlawful wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, detaining to gain advantage causing bodily harm and driving a vehicle without [the] owner’s consent.
The teenager is 20 weeks pregnant and was refused bail when she last appeared in court in late February
Nisha Phillips (pictured) was allegedly stuffed in the boot of her own Holden Commodore after 12 hours of terror that began at a unit in Claymore, western Sydney, about 10.30pm on Tuesday
Henderson’s lawyer later said the family would not make any comment in relation to the charges
The pair allegedly stuffed Phillips in the boot of her own Holden Commodore and set off down the Hume Highway.
They were stopped by police after a passing truckie saw the victim’s hand sticking through the smashed tail light and called Triple Zero.
Detectives are investigating whether the duo were on the way to the infamous Belanglo State Forest between Sydney and Canberra when they were stopped.
Phillips was rushed to hospital to undergo surgery while the other women were taken into custody and refused bail.
At her last appearance, Henderson’s lawyer Gazi Abbas argued his client should be released because she had several favourable prospects, including her age, support from family and the fact she was 14 weeks pregnant.
Mr Abbas added that her alleged involvement in the case is yet to be ascertained and she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues after a childhood filled with trauma.
Police allege Henderson (left) helped her friend Kayley Lee Ketley (right) carry out a horrific stabbing and kidnapping
The 24-year-old alleged victim managed to get her hand out the back tail light of the car (pictured) which was seen by a passing truck driver, who called NSW Police
Henderson (far right) was close friends with Brayden Dillon (far left) who was gunned down in his sleep in a high-profile incident in 2017
The court heard Henderson was scarred after the freak death of her baby sister and assassination of her close friend Brayden Dillon.
Henderson’s younger sister Indy Lee was killed in a horror accident in 2016 when the concrete war memorial at Black Head Bowling Club fell on top of her.
An inquest into her death heard another older child was standing on top of the war memorial headstone when it buckled and crushed the three-year-old.
In an emotional tribute to her sister on Instagram, Henderson shared a photo of the toddler’s burial headstone.
‘Half of my heart lives in heaven. I miss you so much angel eyes,’ she wrote.
Just five months after her sister’s death, Henderson’s life was again rocked by the shooting death of Dillon.
The 15-year-old was asleep in bed when Conrad Craig burst through the front door and into his room.
Craig was last year sentenced to at least 30 years jail over the shocking killing.
At the time, Henderson told media: ‘He was a really good friend of mine. It’s so hard to accept the fact that he’s gone.’
Henderson’s younger sister Indy Lee died in 2016 after a concrete war memorial fell on her at a bowling club in Black Head
‘Half of my heart lives in heaven. I miss you so much angel eyes,’ Henderson wrote in a moving Instagram post to Indy Lee (pictured)
Henderson’s lawyer Gazi Abbas (pictured) argued the teenager should be released because she has favourable prospects, including the fact she is 14 weeks pregnant
Court documents state that Phillips was allegedly attacked as early as 10.30pm on February 2.
It wasn’t until close to 11.30am the next morning that police pulled over her Holden Commodore and allegedly freed her from the boot.
Phillips was suffering stab wounds to her knee, thigh and forearm.
While the three women were known to each other, the details of an alleged personal dispute that led to the eventual kidnapping remain unclear.
Ketley was also hit with the additional charges of cannabis possession and driving while disqualified.
Henderson is scheduled to appear in Campbelltown Local Court on April 28.
Henderson had a large group of supporters turn out at Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday, including her mother and grandmother
Police pulled the car over on the Hume Highway near Berrima, in the NSW Southern Highlands, about 11.30am on February 3
Latia Henderson (above), 18, revealed she was pregnant at her last court appearance
