Indonesian cleaner who allegedly attacked 92yo woman acted in ‘self-defence’
An Indonesian cleaner who allegedly tried to rob and beat her 92-year-old employer to death with her own walking stick has a gambling addiction. “She has no money in her bank account,” a Sydney court has heard.
An Indonesian cleaner who allegedly tried to rob and beat her 92-year-old employer to death with her own walking stick has a gambling addiction, a Sydney court has been told.
Police allege mother-of-two Hanny Papanicolaou stabbed and bashed Marjorie Welsh as she clutched at her body-worn panic button in her home in Sydney’s inner west last week.
The elderly woman had to be put in an induced coma when she was found bleeding heavily from her abdomen with bits of kitchen crockery sticking out of her head, the prosecution says.
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Ms Welsh remains at “grave risk of death” in hospital after being left permanently disfigured and says “I will never be the same”, Sergeant Ernest Chan told Burwood Local Court.
Papanicolaou, the family’s trusted employee of five years, was denied bail when she appeared via video link from Silverwater prison on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old, who has no criminal history, had cleaned for the victim for 12 months and for her daughter Elizabeth for five years, the court heard.
Elizabeth Welsh held her husband Graham Greene’s hand outside court as he said his mother-in-law is getting excellent care and they want her to continue her long road to recovery.
“We hope our mother can get back to being an independent woman and being with us again as a family,” he said.
Papanicolaou injured her ankle as she allegedly fled the scene and she nearly fell over while limping towards a table on her crutches.
The Roselands woman was photographed covering her head with a blanket as she was wheeled out of hospital on last week.
Papanicolaou, who moved to Australia more than a decade ago, sat crying with her head bowed as the court heard she had two young children to support.
Defence Barrister James Trevallion said the permanent resident is breastfeeding her three-month-old son and also has a nine-year-old daughter with her husband of 10 years, who supported her in court.
The court was told Papanicolaou had been gambling for nearly two hours at the Canterbury Leagues Club before she set upon Ms Welsh in her Ashbury home about 10.45am last Wednesday.
Sgt Chan said in the weeks prior Papanicolaou had asked Ms Welsh about the recent sale of her property at Box Hill and the attack may have been planned for financial gain.
“She has no money in her bank account, she has a gambling addiction,” he said.
“The offences before the court were targeted, they were unprovoked, they were vicious. It was a frenzied attack on a vulnerable 92-year-old.”
The court heard Ms Welsh suffered a punctured lung, seven wounds to her torso, a nicked bowel requiring surgery, removal of her gallbladder, multiple facial fractures and cuts to the back of her scalp.
She was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and must undergo more surgeries which could be life-threatening given her age.
On Wednesday morning Ms Welsh had a nose operation after having trouble breathing while the family elected not to have surgery for multiple fractures underneath her left eye socket which will leave her with permanent disfigurement.
Sgt Chan said Papanicolaou hid the knife, her clothing and Ms Welsh’s landline phone while later claiming to police she acted in self-defence when the “barely mobile” woman tried to hit her with a cane.
Ms Welsh’s neighbour Adrian said he saw a woman scamper across their adjoining fence, jump into a neighbouring park and run away at the time of the alleged attack.
“I heard a thud, someone was climbing along the side fence. It looked like a little girl at first,” Adrian, 38, told The Daily Telegraph.
“I heard: ‘Help, help, help’ … I tried to go in one door and it was locked so I went in the side door.
“I saw her (Ms Welsh) lying face down with blood all over the back of her head.”
Adrian ran to get his phone but Ms Welsh had already pushed her personal panic alarm and police and paramedics were en route.
Police say the emergency device may well have saved her life.
Sgt Chan told the court Ms Welsh was conscious at the time of the attack and later told officers words to the effect of “the cleaner did it”.
Less than two hours after the alleged attack, Papanicolaou was stopped and arrested while driving a car in Illawong, 30 minutes south of the crime scene.
The court heard during that time Papanicolaou appeared suicidal, writing her husband farewell texts reading “I love you all very much” before refusing to tell him her location and switching off her phone.
She’s been charged with attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm which each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
Mr Trevallion said locking up Papanicolaou while she awaits trial would cause “irreversible damage” to her kids and may force the family to sell their already heavily-mortgaged home.
Her husband Nick Papanicolaou is a telecommunications engineer “currently looking for new opportunities”, according to his LinkedIn profile and a $45,000 bail surety was offered by a number of friends.
The lawyer said Papanicolaou isn’t some “drug king ping with access to money and false passports” and can’t head back to her homeland on a fishing boat from Sydney Harbour.
But Magistrate Louise McManus said the case was strong and flagged the risk that she would not attend court given the prospect of a lengthy jail sentence if convicted.
Papanicolaou will next face court via video link on March 6.
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