Court of Appeal doubles Salli-Anne Neyland’s non-parole period for choking and bashing nine-year-old boy

This mother-of-four choked a “gurgling” nine-year-old with a phone cable and viciously beat him with a metal pole. Now SA’s top court has found her sentence was far too soft.

Salli-Anne Neyland will spend more than a year behind bars after choking a nine-year-old child with a phone charger cable before beating the victim with a metal pole. Picture: Facebook

A mother-of-four who choked a nine-year-old boy with a phone charger cable before “triumphantly texting” that she had “bashed him with a pole and choked the little c**t” has had her non-parole period more than doubled on appeal.

Salli-Anne Neyland, 32, pleaded guilty to unlawful strangulation in a domestic setting and two counts of aggravated assault causing harm over the incident in January this year.

District Court Judge Simon Stretton sentenced Neyland to two years and 21 days in prison for the offending. He ordered Neyland to serve five months of the sentence before she would become eligible for parole.

Earlier this month, the Director of Public Prosecutions launched an appeal against the length of Neyland’s non-parole period, arguing it was manifestly inadequate.

Salli-Anne Neyland will spend more than a year behind bars after choking a nine-year-old child with a phone charging cable before beating the victim with a metal pole. Picture: Facebook

Neyland’s original sentence was deemed inadequate by the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal heard the victim had been placed briefly in Neyland’s care in December 2022.

On January 17, 2023, Neyland called the victim into her bedroom. She believed the victim - who was temporarily living with her and was not one of her children - had recorded a sexual video of a young child despite no evidence of this being found.

In the bedroom, Neyland picked up a phone charging cable and wrapped it around the victim’s neck.

She choked him three times within the space of a minute, only stopping when he made a gurgling sound.

Neyland called the child a “pedophile” and a “dog” as well as threatening to slice his neck if he told anyone what she had done.

She used a metal pole from a nearby drying rack to hit the victim numerous times to the thighs, buttocks and stomach.

The assault lasted several hours with Neyland questioning the child and hitting him with a pole every time she did not like the answer.

She texted a friend saying that the victim was “defs” a “pedo”.

“I bashed him with a pole and choked the little c**t,” she wrote.

“Fingers crossed I don’t go to jail.”

Salli-Anne Neyland.

A day later, Neyland kicked the victim in the face after he made an inappropriate comment and threatened to “literally kill” him.

When arrested, Neyland told police about her concerns about the boy and admitted the assault.

A review of the boy’s phone showed no “inappropriate conduct”.

Michael Foundas, prosecuting, argued Neyland’s total sentence was already merciful and the non-parole period was so low as to be incorrect.

The court found that the offending was at the upper end of the scale of seriousness.

“It was attended by several serious features including that the complainant was a vulnerable nine-year old child, who, at the time of the offending, was in the respondent’s care and protection without the ability to independently access support or advocate for himself,” they wrote.

“He also sustained not insignificant physical injuries as a result of the attack and continues to suffer from emotional and psychological trauma and nightmares.

“Moreover, the offending was not isolated nor confined to a spontaneous incident but involved numerous assaults coupled with threats, over two days, as well as the use of weapons.”

The Court of Appeal set a new non-parole period of 13 months. Neyland will be eligible to apply for release in February 2024.