Jennie Louise Wright: Canberra woman faces court after organising bashing of ex-boyfriend
A Canberra lipstick saleswoman arranged for her ex-boyfriend to have his face bashed in with a trolley pole after he called her a ‘sl*t’, a court has heard.
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A Canberra lipstick saleswoman arranged for her ex-boyfriend to have his face bashed in with a trolley pole after he called her a “sl*t”, before she was recorded laughing about the brutal attack and describing it as “karma”, a court has heard.
Jennie Louise Wright, 44, of Kaleen, and co-offender Michael John Barron fronted the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday, having previously pleaded guilty to intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm on Wright’s former partner, Peter Watson.
A second co-offender, Brandon Ashley Edgerton, has also pleaded guilty to his role in the attack but was not required in court on Wednesday.
Court documents show Wright had recently separated from Mr Watson at the time of the attack.
The two were sending “acrimonious” text messages, and in one, Mr Watson called his ex-girlfriend a “sl*t”.
Barron replied, calling Mr Watson a “gronk”.
Wright had arranged for Mr Watson to pick up some of his belongings from the house they had previously shared, but planned for Barron, her new partner, and Edgerton, to attack him.
An agreed statement of facts says Wright disconnected her home security cameras before Mr Watson arrived in a rental ute, while Barron armed himself with a metal trolley pole.
Before the attack, Wright spoke with a person on a phone line which was being recorded by authorities, and said Mr Watson would be “going on a long holiday”.
As Mr Watson was loading his belongings into the ute, he heard Barron call his name out, turned and looked, and saw an armed Barron.
A series of blows with a trolley pole left Mr Watson with bone-deep cuts to his face, facial fractures and a broken wrist.
As Mr Watson fled, Barron said: “f*ck off and don’t come back”.
As Mr Watson was being beaten, Wright was again talking on the recorded phone line and said: “f*ck … I can just hear the mallet hitting the concrete … I might have a big clean up job to do”.
During a third recorded phone call, Wright was recorded laughing repeatedly.
She said of the attack: “It’s called karma”.
Wright and Barron’s attempts to arrange false alibis failed.
The court heard on Wednesday Barron would likely have his parole revoked in coming weeks and would need to have a mental health assessment before being sentenced.
Wright, Barron and Edgerton return to court at a later date.