Angel Bardsley pleads guilty to random Corio Village attack on woman

A woman was sitting on a bench having a smoke outside a shopping centre in Geelong’s north when she was set upon, punched multiple times and kneed in the head, a court has heard.

Angel Bardsley appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Picture: Facebook

A woman was sitting on a bench outside a Geelong shopping centre smoking a cigarette before she was set upon, punched and kneed in the head in a random attack, a court has heard.

Angel Bardsley, 23, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to charges stemming from two attacks on women not known to her and also being found with weapons and ice after a shoplifting arrest.

Police prosecutor leading senior constable Kathleen Hewitt told the court that on August 11 last year, a woman left Corio Village via the Kmart exit and sat down on a bench to have a smoke.

About half an hour later, Bardsley came out the same exit carrying belongings which she put in her car.

Angel Bardsley

No words were exchanged as she passed the woman, the court heard, however Bardsley turned around and walked up to the victim, spouting verbal abuse, including calling the woman an “old mole”.

The two women were not known to each other, the court heard.

During the altercation, Bardsley grabbed the woman by the throat, punched her multiple times and kneed her in the head, before walking away, the court heard.

When she was interviewed by police, Bardsley was remorseful and made full admissions.

She told police she was drug affected at the time, having taken GHB.

The court also heard Bardsley and a co-accused were confronted by a loss prevention officer after shoplifting from Coles at Corio Village in January last year.

Corio Village Shopping Centre

The pair were later arrested on Cox Rd, with police recovering the stolen items, a small amount of ice and prohibited weapons including a pocket knife, knuckle dusters and a taser.

Bardsley also pleaded to assaulting a woman with a block of wood in Norlane in 2021.

Bardsley’s lawyer, Alana Reader, asked the court for an adjournment before sentencing so the defence could seek a psychological report and an assessment for supported bail through the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP).

Ms Reader told the court that Bardsley suffered from severe anxiety and was in a physically abusive relationship in 2023 that saw her drug-use escalate, until she was using ice and GHB daily.

The court heard Bardsley, who was supported in court by her family, was subjected to regular and serious abuse at the hands of her ex-partner, who has been charged with serious offences and is currently in custody.

Ms Reader said an adjournment would be beneficial, given Bardsley’s youth, present abstinence and willingness to engage in treatment.

Magistrate Peter Mellas adjourned the matter until Friday, so Bardsley could be assessed for CISP bail.

Originally published as Angel Bardsley pleads guilty to random Corio Village attack on woman