Isabella Aneta Cisarova, 22, faces sentence for attempted murder of her mother

A psychological report of a woman who slashed her mothers throat on the Cairns esplanade has found she still poses a high risk of committing violence against her mother as she faced sentencing for attempted murder.

The scene of an alleged stabbing on the Cairns Esplanade on November 24. Police later charged 20-year-old Isabella Aneta Cisarova with attempted murder. Bystanders are assisting a 39-year-old woman with a neck wound. Picture: Supplied

A psychological report on a woman who slashed her mother’s throat on the Cairns Esplanade found she still poses a high risk of committing violence against her mother as she faced sentencing for attempted murder.

Isabella Aneta Cisarova, 22, was found guilty of attempting to kill her mother with a box cutter at the conclusion of a trial in August.

Her defence counsel Tim Grau and crown prosecutor Nathan Crane delivered arguments on Thursday as to how long she should spend in prison for the violent and bloody attack.

Mr Crane submitted that the range for attempted murder should fall somewhere between the 10-15 year mark pushing towards the higher end of that scale.

Mr Grau argued that due to the complicated nature of the family dynamics and the young age of Cisarova the sentence should fall between the nine and nine and a half year mark.

Cisarova’s mother watched the proceedings by videolink.

Mr Crane told the court that while Cisarova’s mother did not wish to provide a victim impact statement after providing evidence against her daughter during trial, she had been deeply affected by the event and its aftermath.

The scene of an alleged stabbing on the Cairns Esplanade on November 24. Police later charged 20-year-old Isabella Aneta Cisarova with attempted murder. Ms Cisarova is pictured here being placed under arrest. Picture: Supplied

He told the court she had spent time in hospital on a number of occasions due to the stress and strain of the trial and ongoing mental health concerns.

“There has been a profound psychological impact, even if it doesn’t arise in the form of a victim impact statement,” Mr Crane said.

Mr Crane spoke to a forensic psychologist’s report which advised that Cisarova still posed a high risk of committing violence against her mother.

The offence occurred amid a backdrop of a history of domestic violence and disrupted family dynamics caused by the break up of her mother and father.

Mr Crane said the report showed that she still had a focus on her mother and still contends she suffered abuse from her.

“There is still a very focused approach on the safety of her siblings that won’t go away even after the cathartic display of rage against her mother,” Mr Crane said.

“There is the prospect her mother might have those children in the future.”

Justice James Henry mused: “The belief the mother posed some sort of risk to the safety of the children, erroneous or not, is the most logical explanation for what she did.”

Justice Henry noted there were seemingly two competing notions that went towards the “degree of wickedness” of the offence in relation to the build up.

The first being that Cisarova prepared by arming herself with the knife, waiting for her mother and attacking her while her back was turned intending to kill her mother all along.

The second, that she intended to confront her mother, and in the wave of emotions that came over her, she snapped and committed the offence.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told a Cairns Supreme Court jury during the trial Ms Cisarova had inflicted a 15cm neck wound to her mother with a boxcutter, with the jury shown an image of the bloodied object. Picture: Supplied

Mr Grau argued that Cisarova had no history of acts of violence and the psychological report showed no evidence of psychopathic tendencies or an antisocial personality disorder.

“She was of a young age, only 20, and the accumulative effect of all the extenuating circumstances I submit might see the sentence fall below ten years,” he said.

Mr Grau argued the trauma of her upbringing and other matters could have had an effect on her developing mind, accounting for the “lack of adult thinking”.

He noted the attack occurred “undisguised and publicly” and the attack was not prolonged.

“It was absent of premeditated planning, there was no attempt at an alibi and no attempt to escape,” Mr Grau said.

He noted that in the psychologist’s report Cisarova had said she “was not the same person I was two years ago. I am out of the storm.”

She told the psychiatrist was aware she was likely not going to be a part of the family anymore.

Justice Henry noted the complicated nature of the sentence saying Cisarova “was the most unlikely of violent offender”.

Justice Henry will deliver his sentence and reasoning on Monday.

Originally published as Isabella Aneta Cisarova, 22, faces sentence for attempted murder of her mother