Rockhampton mum in court for assault on teenage daughter in Gracemere

Witnesses could hear a girl scream “help me, help me” as she was slapped, punched, kicked, bitten and put in a headlock in the back of a car. One of the women charged was her own mother. Read about the ordeal here.

A Rockhampton mother has faced court over her role in an assault carried out on her 14-year-old daughter by the mother’s friend.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the teenager, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court this week to one count of common assault.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said the defendant and co-accused, with the co-accused’s teenage daughter, picked the child up from her cousin’s house in Gracemere about 10pm on January 3, 2022, after the child had gone there without permission.

He said the defendant, 42, and co-accused discussed punishment en route to the pick up, agreeing taking the child’s mobile phone would be sufficient.

Sergeant Ongheen said that after picking up the child and driving a short distance, the co-accused locked the doors of the vehicle to stop the child escaping and pulled over.

The court heard the child was told to hand over her phone to her mother who was sitting in the front passenger seat, but she did not comply.

Sergeant Ongheen said the co-accused got out of the vehicle and pulled the child’s hair through the open window, causing her to scream in pain.

He said the defendant, during an interview with police, denied this, stating the co-accused reached through the back window and tried to grab the phone from the child victim’s hands.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant told police the child retaliated by kicking the seats and side panel.

Sergeant Ongheen said the co-accused got in the back seat with the child and slapped her multiple times in the face.

He said the co-accused, a woman in her late 30s, also punched the child victim, put her in a headlock, kicked her in the face and bit her shoulder.

Sergeant Ongheen said the child’s mother – the defendant – told police she saw the child bite the co-accused before the co-accused bit the child.

He said the child told police she screamed for the co-accused to let her go.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant admitted she saw the co-accused slap the victim across the face “once or twice” and saw the co-accused bite the child, after the child had bitten the co-accused on her arm.

He said two female witnesses exited their homes after hearing the screams of the girl.

Sergeant Ongheen said they saw “the defendant at the rear passenger window swinging her arms, punching at legs seen through the rear window”.

He said they could hear the girl scream “help me, help me”.

Sergeant Ongheen said the child victim told police the defendant had been at the rear passenger window, punching, grabbing and pushing her legs.

He said the child told police at one point, while being placed in a headlock, she struggled to breath and nearly passed out.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant told police she did not see the co-accused place the child in a headlock.

He said one of the witnesses, concerned for the child, started videoing the incident.

“As the witnesses walked towards the car, at about 10 metres away, the defendant was heard telling the co-accused’s daughter to go and tell the witnesses that everything was OK,” Sergeant Ongheen said.

“The victim child was continuously screaming ‘help me, help me’.”

He said one of the witnesses heard the defendant tell the victim child “well stop f---ing acting like a two-year-old”.

Sergeant Ongheen said the witness filming the incident walked towards the defendant after hearing the child scream, which was then replaced with a gurgling sound.

He said the witness heard the defendant scream at the victim child “right, have you had enough now? Are you going to give up?”.

Sergeant Ongheen said the witness could hear the child struggling to breath.

He said as the witness approached, she could see the co-accused hold the child from behind and she asked if everything was OK.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant replied “yep, she is fine”.

He said the witness calmly replied “it doesn’t sound like she is fine though”.

Sergeant Ongheen said the defendant responded in a huffed tone with her chest puffed out leaning her face into the victim with her arms extended out with closed fists and said “you know what, she is having a hissy fit because she didn’t get her way”.

He said the witness was forced to take several steps backwards fearing she would be assaulted herself.

More words were exchanged between the witness and the defendant before the defendant yelled at the co-accused’s daughter to get back in the car.

Sergeant Ongheen said the witness could see the child in the car with her arms extended and saying “Please. I need help. I need help.”

He said the witness promised the child they would call the police before the defendant drove the car a short distance away.

Sergeant Ongheen said once parked again, the child got out of the vehicle and the co-accused went to grab her arms, however she pushed her away and took off, running and screaming for help.

He said the victim child ran back to where the assault took place where the witnesses were talking to police.

Sergeant Ongheen said police spoke with the child at the scene and she attended the Rockhampton Police Station later to file a formal complaint.

He said the defendant, when talking to police, referred to the child as “the devil’s spawn” and admitted there had been an argument over the child’s phone.

“This is a disturbing, sad incident,” Sergeant Ongheen said.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said her client had made a booking for her child to be assessed by Dr Jamie Parnell, concerned the child had Autism Spectrum Disorder, but the assessment did not take place as the child went to live with her father after the assault.

“She accepts her actions were excessive,” she said.

Ms Legrady said the defendant had two older children – 23 and 17 years old – and had raised her children primarily on her own and had struggled with the youngest one before the assault.

The mother, who had no criminal record, was placed on a six-month probation order.