Louise Loughnane: Redan family beats woman with golf club, glass bong in Ballarat East assault

A Redan mother helped her partner and son severely bash a woman over petty cash. She was beaten with a golf club and had a bong smashed over her head.

Louise Loughnane appeared in Ballarat Magistrates Court charged with theft, assault, and two counts of drug possession. Photo: File

A Redan mother helped her partner and son severely beat a woman they thought had stolen their money during a gathering in Ballarat East.

Ballarat Magistrates Court heard that on August 19, 2020, Ms Loughnane’s partner was at a home gathering in Rodier Street in Ballarat East, where her victim was also present and stayed overnight.

The next morning, the victim left the home to get cigarettes and returned to find Ms Loughnane’s partner in the lounge room “in a heightened state” claiming that someone had stolen his money off a coffee table.

The victim, when accused by the man, denied the theft.

She went to the bathroom, and upon returning, was confronted by Ms Loughnane and her partner, her son – who had driven his mother to the scene – and her son’s partner.

Ms Loughnane, who the court heard was in possession of a homemade taser, threw punches at the victim and kicked her.

Ms Loughnane’s partner then hit the victim with a golf club, causing her to lose consciousness.

When she woke, she tried to make it to the front door, but the same man smashed a glass bong across her head, causing severe lacerations and bleeding of her right temple.

The offending group fled the scene with the victim’s handbag in tow.

The victim was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital for stitches.

CCTV footage from a nearby house captured Ms Loughnane and her son removing golf clubs from a car; police later found a broken golf club at the home where they had stopped.

In November, police searched the home of Ms Loughnane and her partner on La Trobe Street in Redan.

There they found a ziplock bag full of cannabis and a plastic tub containing about 20g of the same drug.

In the bedroom they discovered more cannabis and foil wraps holding heroin.

In her interview, Ms Loughnane denied having a weapon and assaulting her victim, saying the attack was in fact committed by her son and his partner.

The court heard she told police she wanted the money back and “didn’t give a f--k about anything else”.

In his interview, Ms Loughnane’s partner said Ms Loughnane and the victim had thrown punches at each other.

Ms Loughnane took ownership of the cannabis found at her home, but said the heroin was her son’s.

She pleaded guilty on Monday to one charge of theft, one of assault, and two counts of drug possession, but magistrate Ron Saines adjourned the case for six months so that Ms Loughnane could get legal advice.

Ms Loughnane was bailed, her drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.

Mr Saines said there was a case for imprisonment, especially should Ms Loughnane offend again before the June hearing.