Shae-Lee Brooke Finney pleads guilty to violent attack with box cutter

When a young mother confronted the 19 year old she believed had slept with her partner it descended into a terrifying and violent assault, a court heard. Here’s what happened

Shae-Lee Brooke Finney was jailed for four years with parole eligibility on July 4, 2024, after spending 12 months in jail. Photo: Contributed

A young, pregnant mother unleashed a violent home attack on a teen girl that included “stomping on her” and slicing her leg and arm with a box cutter in a brazen assault while her mother was asleep nearby.

The “absolutely terrifying” home invasion-type assault happened in the early hours of July 5, 2023 at a Sophia St unit complex as Shae-Lee Brooke Finney was confronting her 19-year-old victim over allegations the teen had slept with Finney’s partner, a court heard.

Finney, 25 and heavily pregnant with her third child, has been in custody since the assault.

She had driven to the victim’s home, and used “friendliness” to get inside the unit after which she twice wounded the teen “slicing (her) with a box cutter”, Crown prosecutor Matthew Sutton said.

Mackay District Court heard Finney grabbed the victim by the throat with both hands and “squeezed her neck so hard that she could not breathe” in a bid to try and force her into a car.

When the victim fell, Finney began punching her as she held her arms up for protection.

“You then slashed her leg with a box cutter that you had,” Judge Jennifer Rosengren said, adding Finney then went about “stomping (on her) while she’s defenceless on the ground”.

Shae-Lee Brooke Finney pleaded guilty to a violent 3am assault on a teenager. Photo: Contributed

“She was screaming at you to stop, which you did.”
As the victim tried to run inside, Finney reached out with the box cutter blade to try and stop her and slashed her arm.

Mr Sutton said during the ordeal there were also threats to kill the teen that “would have seems all too real and actionable … at the time”.

The box cutter was found in the ute she had travelled in to the victim’s home.

Mr Sutton pushed for 4.5 years jail with only a parole eligibility date, meaning she must apply to the parole board to be released.

Finney pleaded guilty to burglary in the night while armed and in company, and two counts each of wounding and common assault over the 3am attack. Her partner has not been charged over the attack.

Judge Rosengren noted Finney’s offending was escalating.

The court heard she had three page criminal history that included an entry for burglary involving her and others entering a home and confronting a victim about Finney’s brother being in jail.

“This is escalating in seriousness … she’s got a previous for burglary … she’s older, she goes in with a box cutter, she stomps her, and with her hands around her throat,” Judge Rosengren said.

As the victim tried to run inside, Finney reached out with the box cutter blade to try and stop her and slashed her arm.Photo: Contributed

Defence barrister Martin Longhurst was pushing for three years and 10 months with parole eligibility after nine months “given her youth” and other factors, including that she is pregnant with a due day in March 2024.

The court heard Finney had also been exposed to violence in her childhood and found herself repeating the cycle.

Mr Longhurst said it was a natural reaction to confront someone over allegedly “sleeping around with your partner”.

“But to do it in this well and truly over the top fashion and then to have it descend into the use of a box cutter,” Mr Longhurst

“It gives some explanation to what she’s been exposed to … incredible violence.”

The court heard Finney had gone to the unit to confront the victim and decided while she was there “she wasn’t getting straight answers from this young lady” so she formed a plan to get them in the same room.

“For reasons best known to my client she had a box cutter that was brought out at some point,” Mr Longhurst said, but argued she was not a lost cause for supervision in the community “given her age, and her difficult upbringing”.

Judge Rosengren said there was “significant violence” and agreed the victim would have been absolutely terrified.

Finney was jailed for four years with parole eligibility on July 4, 2024, after spending 12 months in jail.