Chantelle Spencer: Shepparton mum jailed for tying up, bashing friend

A Shepparton mum who hogtied and savagely attacked her friend, then kept her captive overnight, has learnt her fate.

Chantelle Spencer will not return to jail for the crimes.

A Shepparton mum hogtied her friend and savagely attacked her, then kept the woman captive overnight until she managed to escape, a court has heard.

Chantelle Louise Spencer, 37, was sentenced to 280 days’ jail and an 18-month community corrections order before the County Court on Tuesday, having pleaded guilty to charges including false imprisonment, recklessly causing injury and assault.

Spencer carried out the vicious attack on the woman overnight on July 16-17, 2019.

The court heard Spencer approached her friend, who was laying on a bed in the lounge room of a Shepparton home, and aggressively removed the woman’s clothing, then tied the woman’s hands together with a shirt and tied her legs together with a rope.

Spencer put a piece of cloth around the victim’s mouth and placed cushions over her face, restricting the victim’s ability to breathe.

The mum then repeatedly hit the woman in the face and head, causing bruising to her left eye and cheek, and punched the woman down every time she tried to get up.

Spencer then searched the woman’s stomach region to try to find drugs.

The woman was then left tied up for a lengthy period of time before she managed to escape the house when Spencer fell asleep.

When Spencer was later arrested police found meth and a stolen passport on her.

The court heard Spencer carried out the attack because she believed the woman was hiding drugs, and that she was on meth herself at the time.

Spencer, who had an extensive and relevant criminal record, including a charge of armed robbery, was held in jail until she was granted bail on her second attempt on April 22, 2020.

The court heard Spencer had successfully remained on bail since.

She pleaded guilty to the crimes in the Koori Court after Judge Johns indicated in March that he would not order that she serve more jail time than the amount she had already served before getting bail.

The court heard the indigenous woman had suffered a life of instability, trauma and drug and alcohol abuse and dealt with depression, anxiety and an ABI.

It was heard she was a mother of six including of 23-month old twins.

Judge Johns said Spencer’s crimes were very serious and it had a severe impact on her victim.

“You behaved in a very aggressive, violent and demeaning way toward your friend,” the Judge said.

“You violated her person.”

“It was a terrifying, humiliating and painful ordeal for her.”

Judge Johns said he was satisfied Spencer, who cried throughout the hearing, had appropriate shame and remorse for the incident.

He noted the benefit of her plea, and said the overrepresentation of Aboriginal women in prisons had influenced his sentence indication.

Judge Johns ordered Spencer complete 75 hours’ unpaid community work and undertake alcohol, drug and mental health treatment, warning her it would be an intensive 18-month program.

He said he would have ordered Spencer serve a minimum of two and a half years’ jail, and a maximum of four, had she not pleaded guilty.