Stalker who called ex 4700 times gets early jail release

A stalker mum who called her former partner 4700 times, egged his house and threatened him - applied to get out early on Valentine’s Day.

A STALKER who called her ex-partner 4700 times, egged his house and threatened that he was "pretty much dead" will not have to return to jail, a court has ruled.

Mackay mother Sarah Ann Kiely, 38, was granted immediate parole on Valentine's Day after the Queensland Court of Appeal ruled her three-year jail term should be reduced.

Kiely, who was granted bail in December while her appeal was underway, stalked and harassed her ex-boyfriend calling him 4720 times over 12 months and pretended she was having pregnancy complications in a desperate bid to rekindle their relationship.

Sarah Ann Kiely, 38, called her former boyfriend 4720 times.

Between September 2016 and September 2017, Kiely took photos of her ex-partner, egged his house and car, tore down his CCTV cameras and made false claims to police about him.

In August last year she pleaded guilty to unlawfully stalking her former partner and using a carriage service to menace.

The mother of two, who had given birth three months before her sentence, was given three years' jail to be released in April 2020.

At the Court of Appeal on Friday, defence barrister Janice Crawford argued that the sentence was "manifestly too high" and her head sentence should have been two years.

"A three-year head sentence with nine months actually served for a 38-year-old woman with the care of a newborn baby and a 16-year-old daughter ... is manifestly too high," Ms Crawford said.

Justice David Boddice said it was difficult to see how the sentence was excessive given the nature of her offending was "very serious conduct".

"This is stalking which, if we were talking about a male offender doing it to a female ... I doubt whether anybody would think three years was manifestly excessive," he said.

"It is persistent concerning behaviour."

But Ms Crawford argued there had been "family issues" in the background during her stalking and importantly, for 18 months before she was sentenced, she had not re offended.

The Court of Appeal was told that despite Kiely being approved to have her newborn daughter with her in the Townsville Women's Correctional Centre, it had taken three weeks for her baby to join her behind bars.

Kiely's appeal was allowed and she was granted immediate parole.

The Court of Appeal will publish its reasons for its decision at a later date. - NewsRegional

*For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or MensLine on 1800 600 636.

Originally published as Stalker who called ex 4700 times gets early jail release