Collette Lee Wilson faces Ipswich Court over brutal assault to avenge mum’s debt

An Ipswich woman carried out a brutal assault on her own birthday against a woman she believed owed a debt to her mum, in what a court heard was a ‘terrifying episode’ of violence.

Collette Lee Wilson. Picture: Facebook

An Ipswich woman has fronted court for a brutal assault, carried out on her own birthday, against a woman she accused of owing her mum money.

Leichhardt resident Collette Lee Wilson, 26, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on October 20, 2023, to assault occasioning bodily harm, possessing dangerous drugs, authority required to possess explosives, and possessing drug utensils.

The court heard Wilson had assaulted a woman who had stayed at her mother’s house on occasion on October 1, 2022.

That date also happened to be Wilson’s 25th birthday, the court heard.

Wilson and an accomplice had arranged for the woman to come to a house in Ipswich that date.

When the woman entered, Wilson came up from behind her and struck her in the face twice.

Judge Benedict Power said the “brutal attack” had caused the victim bleeding and bruising on her forehead.

He noted Wilson had been motivated by “revenge or the obtaining of money,” as she had claimed the woman owed her mother $100.

The court heard Wilson then hit the woman again in the back of the head and asked for money and keys to her car.

Judge Power said Wilson “forced” the woman to drive towards an ATM and get money out.

Wilson had instructed her accomplice to go with the woman in one car, and Wilson followed behind in her own car.

As they were driving toward the ATM, they came upon two police cars, and Wilson made off away from them.

She was arrested later that month and was remanded in custody until June, 2023.

The court heard the victim had received counselling since the episode, which she believed had contributed to her relapse into addiction.

Defence barrister Justin Thomas said his client had had some “dreadful problems” with drug use in the past, but had not used meth since being taken into custody.

He said she had regained full-time employment at her former workplace since her release from custody.

Judge Power encouraged Wilson to stay away from methamphetamine.

“You’ll hopefully be able to put all of this behind you and never appear in court again,” he said.

Wilson was sentenced to 231 days jail and six months probation for the assault, with 231 days of presentence custody declared time-served.

She was convicted and not further punished for the other charges, with no convictions recorded for those matters.