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Sinister she-devil Grace Heard pleads guilty to Carnegie armed robbery, intentionally cause injury

A maleficent miss threatened to kill a young woman and her family during a protracted Carnegie armed robbery.

Grace Heard pleaded guilty to armed robbery. Facebook.
Grace Heard pleaded guilty to armed robbery. Facebook.

A junior terror bashed a young woman before the victim was made to cover her wounds with a scarf and make-up so she could withdraw cash from a bank.

Grace Heard, 22, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to time served – 215 days – after pleading guilty to armed robbery and intentionally causing injury.

Heard attacked her 25-year-old victim after pair had played the pokies together at the Rosstown Hotel in Carnegie early on October 5 2017.

Heard, who left the Dandenong Rd hotel with a man about 1.30am, targeted the young woman after the victim stayed back at the venue and won $300.

The victim left the hotel with another man named ‘Nick” just after 2am and headed back to Heard’s Carnegie home, the court was told.

The victim stopped at an ATM on the way and deposited $250.

Nick asked to use the victim’s phone but she got “suspicious” after he attempted to transfer cash using a banking app.

The pair arrived back at Heard’s home but Nick and the other man left the property shortly after.

The victim disabled the cardless cash withdrawal function attached to her bank account, telling Heard she feared the men had left to steal her money.

Heard, who told the young woman she could wait in her bedroom, pulled out a 20cm knife and threatened the victim.

Heard put the knife to her victim’s throat.
Heard put the knife to her victim’s throat.

“Here’s the thing, you’re going to give me your phone, your bag and your cards,” Heard said.

The menace then held the knife to her victim’s throat.

“I’m going to slit your throat,” Heard said.

Heard, who punched her victim “five to 10” times to the head, eyes, ears and throat, told the victim she had previously bashed someone with a hammer.

“If you tell anyone you, your family and your mother will die,” Heard said.

“I will f*** you up … you will not live.”

The victim handed over her bag, mobile phone and cards but the ordeal continued unabated.

“If you give me your finger I will cut it off with this thing (the knife),” Heard said.

The court was told Heard bashed the young woman for “another 10 minutes” then relentlessly verbally abused and berated the victim.

The victim later recalled the men had returned and there was a wooden-handled axe at the property.

The ordeal lasted several hours until Heard ordered her victim go to the bank with Nick to withdraw money just after 9.30am.

The victim had make-up applied to her face to hide the bruising and was made to wear a scarf to conceal her neck injuries, the court was told.

Heard made her victim go to a bank to withdraw cash.
Heard made her victim go to a bank to withdraw cash.

Heard kept hold of her victim’s phone and house key while Nick and the woman went to the nearby Commonwealth Bank on Glenhuntly Rd.

The victim told a bank employee she wanted to withdraw $200 but then gave a “signal” something was wrong.

“I’m in trouble,” the victim said before breaking down in tears.

The staff member told the victim she could “withdraw the money in the office”.

Police, who arrived at the bank shortly later, executed a search warrant at Heard’s home that afternoon but the femme fiend was nowhere to be found.

Investigators located the knife and axe and retrieved CCTV from the bank, a hairdresser and the Rosstown Hotel.

Heard, unemployed and now living in Deer Park, later handed herself into police.

The matter was set to go to trial this week but Heard flipped at the last minute and pleaded guilty to the two charges.

Heard was also handed an 18-month community correction order.

paul.shapiro@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/sinister-shedevil-grace-heard-pleads-guilty-to-carnegie-armed-robbery-intentionally-cause-injury/news-story/2474c473ccaae64fbba9479c40567e27