‘Deserve a bullet’: Natasha Veronica Illin pleads guilty to menacing crown prosecutor

A woman who told a lawyer “you deserve a bullet in your head” has narrowly escaped jail time in Townsville Magistrates Court. Read more of the ‘menacing’ phone call.

Natasha Veronica Illin, plead guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday, October 27, to stealing and using a carriage service to menace.

A woman who called up a crown prosecutor and told her she “deserved a bullet” in her head has narrowly escaped jail time in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday, October 27.

Natasha Veronica Illin, 43, plead guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to menace and one count of stealing.

The first offence occurred in May 2022 when Illin used a Telstra connection to send a large amount of text messages to the police messaging service.

Because the service is an automated computer system, she avoided a stalking charge.

In February 2023 Illin used an Optus service to call crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard.

Natasha Veronica Illin, plead guilty in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday, October 27, to stealing and using a carriage service to menace.

The conversation was fully recorded by Ms Sheppard, and the call begins with Illin asked Ms Sheppard if she knows who she is.

“Hello, do you know who I am?”

“No I don’t.”

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“Do you remember anything about your court proceedings in the last two years?”

Ms Illin then mentions details about the time her daughter was questioned by Ms Sheppard in court, and said the prosecutor ‘terrorised’ her daughter.

“You’ve got people that are going to come to your office and blow it up because of what you’ve done,” she told Ms Sheppard.

“You’re a humiliation and a shame to women. You deserve a bullet to your head. I hate you, I despise you.”

Ms Sheppard then ends the call.

Illin’s third charge - that of stealing - occurred on August 16, 2023, when she stole $573 which had been left unattended at Hotel Brandon, near Ayr.

Magistrate Peter Smid listened to the entire recorded phone conversation between Illin and Ms Sheppard.

“I’ve been a prosecutor for 30 years, and I probably would’ve done thousands of trials,” Magistrate Smid said.

“I meet people who agree or don’t agree with me and I don’t get that sort of rubbish. I think it’s a disgraceful phone call and I think it deserves a term of imprisonment.”

Bowen lawyer Peta Vernon represented Illin in court.

Ms Vernon said in isolation the phone call to the crown prosecutor was concerning, but pointed to Illin’s long history of mental illness to explain.

“Schizophrenic,” Ms Vernon summarised in one word.

“At this point in Ms Illin’s life your honour, she was not being strict with her medication, not being on it at the time, experiencing psychotic episodes and also cannabis misuse... it catapulted how she was feeling. She doesn’t even remember the call.”

Ms Vernon said Illin was now abstaining from cannabis and attending counselling.

“The last five months things are going really well for her, she’s made some changes and moved to Cairns,” she said.

Magistrate Smid read through the mental health report on Illin.

“I think you’ve painted a picture and I appreciate that,” he said.

“Probably the less I say the better.”

Magistrate Smid sentenced Illin to fines - $500 for menacing Ms Sheppard, $400 for texting the police messaging service and $400 for the stealing plus $573 compensation to Hotel Brandon.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as ‘Deserve a bullet’: Natasha Veronica Illin pleads guilty to menacing crown prosecutor