Mum sobs as daughter’s appalling brutal assault played in court

A judge has slammed the “appalling” unprovoked attack on a 15-year-old in a crowded Brisbane transport hub before sentencing the teenage attacker, as the victim’s mother sobbed in court upon seeing the CCTV footage.

The attack occurred near the Cultural Centre in South Brisbane. Picture: Brisbane Incident Alerts

The mother of a 15-year-old schoolgirl who was “appallingly assaulted” at one of Brisbane’s biggest transport hubs on her way to visit her grandmother has sobbed as she watched CCTV of the brutal attack played in court.

It was the first time the family of the teen saw the 41 seconds of chilling footage as Elsie May Baker, then 19, punched her in her head and swung her to the ground in broad daylight at the bus stop near the Cultural Centre in South Brisbane which was crowded with commuters.

The distressing footage, which made Judge Ian Dearden “wince”, was played in the District Court in Brisbane on Tuesday where Baker pleaded guilty to serious assault in company.

A second charge of attempted robbery was dropped by Crown Prosecutor Sophie Hill, after the footage showed Baker grabbing the girl’s bag.

The victim was unable to be in court to see her attacker sentenced as she was in school.

Speaking outside court the mother told The Courier Mail that she and her family had never seen the CCTV footage of the attack until it was played in court.

Baker was on probation at the time of the attack, and has a two-page criminal history at the age of 20, and has three prior convictions for violent offences, Ms Hill told the court.

She had consumed up to 30 premixed drinks before attacking the 15-year-old in broad daylight about 5pm on November 4, 2023.

“That’s just appalling and dreadful bullying,” Judge Dearden told Baker in sentencing.

“You and I watched the video and I winced when I watched it and I winced because I have a daughter and she’s older than the young woman there on the video but she still caught public transport,” Judge Dearden said.

“That could be my daughter sitting there doing nothing but minding her own business.

“None of us could look at that CCTV footage and not wince and not feel utterly utterly violated by what occurred.

“When you’re sitting in the bus stop like that and out of the blue for no reason you are appallingly assaulted, and no doubt you are significantly bigger than (the victim),” he said to Baker.

“She has gone from a happy, easygoing … someone who has gone from leading a pleasant life as a 15-year-old to someone who’s scared to do normal daily things that all of us do.”

In her victim impact statement filed in court, the victim’s mother said she was “devastated as her mum, I feel helpless”.

“She will never be the same,” the mum said.

“My daughter once could go out to the shops, catch a bus to school, she could see family and friends happily. Now that all has been affected by Elise Baker and her actions to hurt my innocent daughter, a senseless act of violence, with no regard or respect for her.”

Her daughter suffers nightmares, post traumatic stress disorder, avoids public transport, cries and suffers from depression and anxiety, the mother said in her statement filed in court.

Judge Dearden told Baker that her crime was a “very serious example of assault occasioning bodily harm in company”.

He convicted and sentenced Baker to 18 months’ in prison, with an immediate parole release due to the time that she has served in pre-sentence custody.

Baker was due in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today on summary offences where she was expected to plead guilty, her barrister Emily Lewsey told the court.

Speaking outside court the mother told The Courier-Mail that the judge could not have given a harsher sentence but she still would have liked to have seen Baker jailed.