Scammer
Banned
Michelle Marie Gopaul, 24, was denied bail Saturday in connection with the alleged abduction of a baby in Toronto.
A New York City woman accused of abducting a baby girl in Toronto has been denied bail.
Michelle Marie Gopaul, 24, appeared at the Old City Hall court shortly before noon on New Year's Day. With her arms folded across her chest, Gopaul was dressed in a grey jacket and black pants, her hair in disarray.
She spoke briefly to the duty counsel and spelled out her last name for the judge. Her aunt, Rita Gopaul, was also in the courtroom.
Outside court, Rita Gopaul told the Toronto Star that her niece is very upset. "I can't say anything ... not until I speak to her parents."
The accused woman's parents, who live in New York City, are flying to Toronto as soon as they can, the aunt said.
Police arrested Gopaul around 3 a.m. Friday in the Midland Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East area and recovered a one-month-old baby who went missing four hours earlier at À la Carte Videos — a western Toronto production studio — during a purported casting call.
Police said Gopaul, an aspiring performer, has been living in Toronto for several months.
Abduction charge
Police were about to issue an Amber Alert when the baby was found unharmed. Gopaul is due back in court Tuesday, charged with abducting a person under the age of 14.
On Saturday, À la Carte Videos issued a release outlining how Gopaul came to rent space and denying any connection with her or the alleged abduction attempt.
While À la Carte was closed the week of Dec. 26 for holidays, contractor Frank Berti was doing some electrical work on the premises. Berti called the owner of À la Carte Videos on Dec. 30 to say a woman had come in asking if she could use the space for 15 minutes to host a quick audition for her Indian film.
The woman said her booking at the studio next door had fallen through and she had scheduled a meeting at that address. The owner reluctantly agreed to her request.
During the day, the woman persuaded Berti to let her come back a few times to conduct interviews and auditions for her film.
The owner of À la Carte Videos was informed by police at 1 a.m. on Dec. 31 that a baby had been abducted from the premises the evening before.
