Philipa Ellen Anne Finn freed from jail after ‘harrowing’ drug-fueled crime spree

A meth-fuelled crime spree across Ipswich came to a ‘harrowing’ end when a Leichhardt man found a masked figure armed with a machete stalking around his home and tapping on windows with a blade.

An Ipswich woman has been freed from jail after committing a ‘harrowing’ drug-fuelled crime spree and raking up more than 20 charges.

The Ipswich Magistrates Court heard Philipa Ellen Anne Finn committed 27 crimes in six months.

Police prosecutor Bernard Elmore said the 22-year-old’s most serious crime was committed late at night at Leichhardt on January 13, 2021.

Senior constable Elmore said a man had been sitting on his porch at his Samford Street home when he saw a masked figure in black carrying a machete, knife and duffel bags make a beeline for him.

He promptly went inside, locked his doors and called police.

While he waited, senior constable Elmore said Finn tried to break into the home and began tapping the machete on the windows before vanishing into the backyard.

“It must have been harrowing and daunting, one can only imagine what was going on in his mind,” he said.

After officers arrested Finn in the backyard, she served 298 days in pre-sentence custody.

Although she was released on Friday, October 29, after pleading guilty to all 27 crimes.

Finn was also caught in the yard of another Ipswich resident where she spat on and hit a woman on November 21.

The court heard the young woman was involved in two separate car crashes while driving high on meth.

Magistrate Peter Saggers told Finn she was lucky to be alive.

Solicitor Christy Louden said her client was struggling with a drug problem and once released had planned to start a fresh life in Roma with her mother.

Magistrate Saggers sentenced Finn to an 18 month suspended prison sentence and declared the nine months spent in pre-custody as time served.

Finn was also suspended from driving for nine months, although Magistrate Saggers warned her that if she committed another crime in the following nine months she’d be returned to prison on a warrant.

Here’s the full list of charges Finn pleaded guilty to; armed with intend to break and enter, three charges of contravene police, break and enter, failure to appear, three charges of possessing property used for drug offences, two charges of possess a drug utensils, two charges of failing to dispose of a needle and syringe, two charges of drug possession, possessing a knife in public, three charges of trespass, wilful damage, drug driving on a provisional licence, two charges of obstructing police, drink driving, driving with no demerit points, leaving the scene of a crash, and common assault.