Accountant Nadine Boutros sentenced to almost three years behind bars for ice-fuelled attacks

A former Kew private school student and accountant who began using ice at 17 has been jailed, following her seven-year spiral into a life of crime that culminated in a terrifying attack on three people.

A high achieving, privately-schooled Melbourne accountant has had a “tragic” fall from grace after she attacked three innocent people during an ice-fuelled rage.

Nadine Boutros, 25, of Whittlesea, had a history of drug and mental health issues when she attempted to stab her young neighbour in his home during the first incident last November.

The County Court, on July 24, heard a wild-eyed Boutros armed herself with a serrated knife before barging into her 23-year-old victim’s apartment and accusing him of damaging her property.

Boutros fled when a family member came to his aid and shortly afterwards confronted a 13-year-old girl as she walked to school in nearby Beech St.

The drug-addled Boutros yelled at the girl called her a “dumb sl — t”, grabbed her bag and forced the youngster to the ground and stole her phone.

She then threw the stolen phone at a woman’s windshield while her car was parked at an IGA supermarket, scaring the woman and her children who were seated in the back seat.

Boutros was arrested by police that day and taken into custody. Judge Frances Hogan said the community was “well and truly sick of” the violent offending committed by ice users.

“A message needs to be sent out loudly and clearly that this conduct will not be tolerated and will be appropriately punished by the courts,” she said.

All three victims told police Boutros appeared highly irritated and irrational, with the neighbour telling police she seemed to be “off her face”.

The teenager’s mum told the court in a victim impact statement her formerly confident daughter was now anxious and fearful, while the mother said one of her children no longer felt safe visiting the supermarket.

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The court also heard Boutros, a former student of Genazzano FCJ College in Kew, injected methamphetamine prior to embarking on her rampage, and had been a user of the drug since she was 17.

Judge Hogan noted in her sentencing remarks she was “guarded” about Boutros’s rehabilitation prospects but she hoped Boutros would turn her life around following her release.

“What you did caused trauma to multiple victims within a very short period on one day,” she said.

“It is a tragedy that a talented young woman from a good background like you should have come to this situation.”

Boutros previously pleaded guilty to two assault charges, and one count each of aggravated burglary, theft and criminal damage.

She was jailed for two years and 10 months with a non-parole period of 17 months.