Kalisha Lee Buchanan: Ballina mum locked up after Illawarra stabbing

A mother who shanked an elderly man in his Illawarra abode has been dealt her punishment. Find out what happened in court.

A Ballina mother who stabbed an elderly man in the Illawarra last year after accusing him of being a paedophile will be behind bars until well into 2023.

Kalisha Lee Buchanan, 35, was sentenced in Wollongong District Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.

Buchanan was living in the Illawarra when the incident occurred just after 9pm with the court hearing that she was serving a community corrections order for a knife-related offence.

Police arrived at the abode on Todd St, Warrawong, at about 9.30pm to find a “blood-splattered” scene after Buchanan had shanked 69-year-old Charles Bonanno twice in the torso.

Mr Bonanno was airlifted to St George Hospital in a serious condition and underwent surgery and has since made a full physical recovery, the court heard.

Buchanan rushed away from the address before the police arrived, however, she was apprehended nearby a short time later.

The court heard Buchanan told police after her arrest, “I stabbed the c*** because he raped my sister.”

Kalisha Lee Buchanan was sentenced on Thursday. Picture: Facebook

Mr Bonanno has not been charged with anything relating to that accusation.

Judge Julia Baly sentenced Buchanan to a prison sentence of two years and six months with a non-parole period of one year and four months.

The court heard Buchanan had a “criminal history with matters containing violence” and, while not formally diagnosed, showed multiple symptoms of someone with schizophrenia.

The judge said it “wasn‘t entirely clear” why Buchanan stabbed Mr Bonanno when handing down her sentence.

With time already served, Buchanan will be eligible for parole in April 2023, at which time she indicated she would move in with her mother in Armidale.