Jessica Clare Carroll sentenced to 18 months prison for assault and car thefts

The woman, who also took thousands of dollars from the man, had been staying at his Surfers Paradise unit for several days before the incident unfolded.

A DRUG-addicted prostitute has been jailed for beating a client with a kitchen utensil and stealing thousands of dollars of his money.

Jessica Clare Carroll, 36, had been staying at the man’s Surfers Paradise unit for several days in early September 2018 when she struck him at about six times on both arms with a yellow plastic ladle.

The Southport Magistrates Court was told the man, who has since died from unrelated circumstances, yelled “stop, stop what are you doing?”.

While at the man’s apartment Carroll also used the man’s mobile phone to confirm $4500 worth of cashless transfers from his bank accounts.

The man, 61, was taken to hospital several days after the attack, but what injuries he suffered was unclear.

Magistrate Mark Howden said the fraud charges were very serious.

“He was a very vulnerable man and you took advantage of him, and you took money from him,” he said.

Mr Howden read from a victim impact statement by the man’s family, who were present in court, though noted some details were not provided in the police facts.

He said the man was particularly vulnerable and suffered from multiple health conditions. He took into account the impact to the man’s health and family.

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Carroll yesterday pleaded guilty to a string of offences including fraud, serious assault of a person over 60 and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Defence Brooke Winter, of Brooke Winter Solicitors, said the man was a client of Carroll, who worked as a prostitute.

Mr Winter said the man was paying her over a number of days to provide “sexual and social services”.

He said Carroll developed a drug addiction at the age of 18 and before that was injected with heroin daily by her mother’s then boyfriend.

“The offending that appears before your Honour, not only in relation to this matter, but in relation to previous matters can only be described as within the context of her rancid drug-offending behaviour,” he said.

The court was told Carroll also led Polair on a chase through the Gold Coast in a stolen car in September 2019.

A month later on October 14 she was found unconscious, slumped over in the driver’s seat in a stolen vehicle.

Carroll was given an 18-month head sentence, taking into account time served, and will be released on parole on April 27. She was also ordered to pay $4500 in restitution and was disqualified from driving for two years.