Cassie Gillies appeals ICO over screaming fit at ex-boyfriend Brandon Walker
A decision has been made in court on a promising real estate agent who appealed the equivalent of nine months jail over a screaming fit at her ex-boyfriend after she found him in bed with another woman.
Central Coast
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When Cassie Norma Gillies arrived to collect some things at the house she had shared with boyfriend of 18 months Brandon Walker — only to find him in bed with another woman — she lost control and started screaming at him to “get that slut out of here”.
It was 7.30am on Sunday, March 22, and after he managed to usher her out of the house she went round banging on windows and the sliding backdoor so hard Mr Walker, his brother and his brother’s two-year-old child, thought the glass was going to smash.
Gillies was convicted in Wyong Local Court in May of intimidation and two counts of breaching an apprehended violence order after police found she had taken him back on at least two occasions.
She was given a nine-month ICO and ordered to undertake 80 hours of community service.
The 25-year-old, of San Remo, was also given community corrections orders for 12 months and 18 months respectively for breaching the AVO.
Gillies appealed the severity of the sentence at Gosford District Court on Friday where her solicitor was able to have the ICO — the court’s equivalent of a custodial sentence — downgraded to a bond.
The Crown conceded the level of objective seriousness did not cross the threshold to warrant a jail term.
Other than a shoplifting offence in 2014 when Gillies was 19, Judge Tanya Bright was satisfied she was a person of “excellent character” and the behaviour was “an aberration”.
Judge Bright revoked the ICO and placed Gillies on a community corrections order for three years with 80 hours of community service.
However she dismissed the appeal against the two breaches of the AVO because the first occurred less than two weeks of the AVO being served.
Judge Bright ordered the existing community corrections order for those offences, imposed by the Local Court, to remain.
The court heard Gillies had moved to Liverpool in Sydney to remove herself from her ex-boyfriend and that she had managed to resume work in property management after being laid off because of COVID-19.
The court also heard she had since been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and was seeing a psychologist to get a mental health plan, and associated medication, in order.
An agreed set of police facts tendered in court states after Mr Walker managed to usher her outside and close the door she started kicking and screaming “come out and f***ing talk to me”.
She walked around to the bedroom window and yelled the same thing and banged on the glass so hard Mr Walker thought it was going to break.
She again walked around the back and banged the glass sliding doors saying “get out here and f***ing talk to me or I will smash the f***ing window”.
The noise woke Mr Walker’s brother and his toddler “begun to scream in fear”.
Gillies left in a black Hyundai before police arrived but she was arrested the next day and was taken to Wyong Police Station where she made full admissions to screaming and banging on the doors and window.
She was charged with intimidation.
Police took out an AVO to protect Mr Walker but the agreed facts stated police attended her home on April 4 where she told them he had spent the night with her and she “didn’t want” the AVO anymore.
A month later police were patrolling Lake Haven Shopping Centre about 12.35pm on May 3 when they saw Gillies and Mr Walker holding hands. When she saw the police Gillies let go of his hand and started walking in the opposite direction.
Ms Gillies has to report to Community Corrections at Liverpool within a week to organise her community service.
Lisa Munro, principal solicitor at Blaxland Criminal Law, who represented Ms Gillies told the Express Advocate they were pleased with the result.
“We were very happy with the outcome and pleased that her Honour took into account our client’s prior excellent character,” she said.
“She is now keen to put this matter behind her and move on with her life.”