The woman accused of abducting a baby at a fake casting call was in a Toronto court for her third bail hearing on Monday – and once again, the hearing was postponed after her surety failed to attend.
Model, singer and aspiring actress Michelle Gopaul, 24, has been in custody since Dec. 30. She is accused of kidnapping a newborn baby from a fake Bollywood casting call at a west-end storefront.
The parents of a one-month-old answered a Craigslist ad seeking South Asian babies who would appear in a movie, offering $15,000 in compensation.
The newborn, Roma Patel, was abducted during the casting call at the strip plaza near Birmingham Street and Islington Avenue in Etobicoke.
The baby was found in Scarborough later that day and returned to her parents.
On Monday, Gopaul wore a beige jacket and black pants to Toronto's College Street courthouse and seemed frustrated that her lawyer had sent a law student in his stead.
At a previous court appearance, her lawyer said he thought she should be able to get bail easily, as she has no prior convictions or other outstanding charges. However, her expected surety has not appeared at any of her court dates, leading to a string of postponements and more than a month in jail for the accused.
Gopaul, who is from New York, is in Toronto on a student visa. Her bail hearing was rescheduled to Feb. 22.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Zuraidah Alman
