Rachel Elise Roeseler faces court after assaulting mum’s landlord in Lockyer Valley

A woman in her 20s has fronted court after she violently took matters into her own hands when her mum was behind on her rent.

Rachel Elise Roeseler, 26, leaving Ipswich Magistrates Court on November 4, 2022. Picture: Nicola McNamara

A woman who trashed her mum’s place and punched her landlord in the face several times in a brutal assault has since “reinvented” herself to become a youth worker, a court has heard.

Nhulunbuy resident Rachel Elise Roeseler, 26, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates Court on November 4, 2022, to assault occasioning bodily harm in company and wilful damage.

The court heard that on November 27, 2021, Roeseler and her long-time boyfriend at the time, Kyle Hirst, confronted Roeseler’s mother’s landlord over the phone about a rental dispute.

The court heard the landlord told them he didn’t want to address the issue with them, but the duo decided to take matters into their own hands.

Roeseler, allegedly accompanied by Hirst and two others, went to the railroad carriage the landlord had been renting out to her mother in Brightview around 9.30pm.

Roeseler recorded on her phone as they threw food around the unit, and damaged the air conditioner and couch.

A neighbour alerted the landlord, who then drove to the property, where he was allegedly confronted by Hirst.

Hirst allegedly reached into the car through the driver’s side door and hit and punched him in the face repeatedly.

Roeseler then opened the passenger side door and hit and slapped him from the other side.

The car’s side mirror and windscreen wipers were damaged in the process, and the landlord sustained a fractured jaw.

Roeseler and the others drove away in a Ute, and the landlord reported her to the police shortly after.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Jo Colston said Roeseler had a limited but relevant criminal history; both Roeseler and Hirst had previously been sentenced with assaulting and obstructing police in 2015, after they attempted to steal wine from a delivery truck and then violently resisted arrest.

Defence lawyer Jim Coburn said Roeseler had been in a relationship with Hirst since she was 17, but Hirst had since had issues with drugs and alcohol and the two had now split.

He said Roeseler was “extremely remorseful” and had “reinvented herself” since this offending by moving to Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory to do youth work with Aboriginal communities.

Magistrate Leanne Scoines said she accepted Roeseler had made genuine attempts to reform herself, but emphasised “this kind of vigilante behaviour, this kind of criminality will not be tolerated”.

“You sought it out, you went around there and caused this drama … By no objective measure could your actions assist your mum; you must have realised that.”

Roeseler received a head sentence of 16 months imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years, and convictions were recorded.

Her co-accused, Hirst, was also mentioned for the same incident, and his matter was adjourned to December 20.