Loganlea’s Jessica Doreen Lock, 34, pleads guilty to violent home invasion against sex worker

When a South East Queensland sex worker opened her front door after sharing her details via text, she was expecting a client. Instead, it was a 34-year-old mum who would go on to rob, threaten, and assault her, a court has heard.

A Logan mum has spent close to 10 months in custody after carrying out a violent home invasion against a sex worker for money.

Jessica Doreen Lock, 34, of Loganlea appeared in Beenleigh District Court on Monday, August 1 via video link from custody and pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary, robbery in company with violence, and assault occasioning bodily harm in company.

The court heard the alleged “prime mover” in the offences was a man named Samnang Nov, who was a client of a 23-year-old escort working out of Logan Central.

It is understood the young sex worker sent Nov a text message in August last year advising him she no longer wanted him as a client as she was scared and felt threatened by his behaviour.

Upon receipt of the message, Crown prosecutor Sera Aldas said Nov attended the woman’s home unannounced and gave her a necklace, a ring, flowers, and a birthday card.

Over the next two days, he allegedly sent her a number of threatening text messages from four different mobile phones threatening to “cut her head off and feed it to her dog”, among other things.

The court heard he also told her he had friends nearby who would “f**k her up” if she did not return the necklace he gave her.

Some days later, on August 15, the woman received a message from Nov who was pretending to be a new client.

He requested to book a time with her and she accepted, providing him with her address.

Ms Aldas said the woman opened her front door after hearing a knock to find two women – Lock and Crystal-Gay Dawn Maizey – standing there.

The pair opened the screen door and “barged” their way into the house.

It is alleged Maizey pushed the woman up against the door, ripped her necklaces off, grabbed her arms, and took her two mobile phones while Lock rummaged through her room, drawers, and bag.

The victim ran to the back of the house and unlocked and opened the door.

The court heard Maizey yelled she would cut the woman’s fingers off if she did not give them her ring. The pair slammed the back door shut on her finger then locked the door.

Ms Aldas said the victim ran to her neighbour’s house and asked them to call the police before Maizey and Lock walked out of the house a short time later.

“We’ll be back to get you,” the court heard they told her as they left.

Ms Aldas noted the home invasion was premeditated and involved robbery and violence, though the victim’s injuries were “relatively minor” and the offending was not overly sophisticated.

Defence barrister Jann Taylor of Seth Solicitors said the offending was instigated by Nov, and Lock and Maizey were together when they decided to attend the victim’s house.

She argued there was “almost” no degree of premeditation involved and her client was not directly responsible for either the violence or threats made to the woman.

The court heard Lock – a long-time drug user – was motivated by the offer of money and had been friends with Maizey since high school.

Lock had spent nearly 10 months in presentence custody by Monday, which Ms Taylor said had been “pivotal” in changing her mindset as it was the first time she had been away from her three children.

Judge Craig Chowdhury considered the Logan mum’s relevant criminal history, her need for assistance, her timely pleas of guilty, and the seriousness of her offending when deciding an appropriate penalty.

For counts one and two before the court, Lock was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment to be suspended after serving 12 months for an operational period of three years.

For the remaining count, she was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 12 months’ probation.

Mr Chowdhury declared the 295 days she spent in presentence custody time already served under the sentence.

The court heard Maizey will appear in Beenleigh District Court for sentence on August 23 this year and Nov’s matter is listed for a mention on September 6.