Medlow Bath: Jesse Hawkeswood sentenced for attack on woman
A man has been jailed after a terrifying attack on his female landlord, where he tied her up with duct tape and threatened to kill her and her family after an ice and alcohol bender.
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A Blue Mountains man who tied up a woman with duct tape and threatened to kill her while under the influence of methylamphetamine and alcohol will spend at least 16 months behind bars.
Jesse Hawkeswood, 38, of Medlow Bath, was sentenced in Penrith District Court by Judge Sharon Harris on charges of take and detain person with intent to commit an indictable offence and common assault.
According to court documents, Hawkeswood - who was high on ice and had drunk 23 beers in the lead up - assaulted and tied up the woman, his landlord, in a home on St Albans Rd on April 6 last year.
His victim came home and noticed back windows and fly screens had been broken.
When she asked Hawkeswood what happened, he opened the door and yelled “you have messed with the wrong person”.
He then dragged his victim by the arms into the bedroom of the home and demanded $30,000 from her.
Court documents show the woman tried to reason with him, but he dragged her to the lounge room and threatened to kill her if she didn’t tell him where the duct tape was.
He then took the duct tape and a knife from the kitchen, and tied the woman up before making stabbing motions towards her, while she sobbed.
Hawkeswood eventually went to check on his dog, telling his victim “if you try to escape or call the police, I’ll kill you and your family”.
He later untied his victim, who barricaded herself in her room until the next morning when she told friends about the incident.
In sentencing, Judge Harris told Hawkeswood the offences were “objectively very serious”.
“The offender, under the influence of ice, detained his victim with duct tape and stabbed towards his victim with a knife while threatening to kill her and her family,” she said.
“It must have been terrifying … it was inhumane.”
Judge Harris said a psychologist’s report showed Hawkeswood had struggled with depression, anxiety, and alcohol dependency in the past, and his behaviour had spiralled due to the loss of his uncle, best friend, and dog within a short period of time before the offence.
However, she said his prospects for rehabilitation were good given he had been abstinent from meth since the offence, and gave up drinking in December last year
Hawkeswood’s lawyer asked for an intensive corrections order, but Judge Harris said only a full-time jail sentence was appropriate given the seriousness of the charges.
She sentenced Hawkeswood to two years and four months in jail with a non-parole period of one year and four months.
He will be eligible for release on parole on October 11, 2021.