LIST: Women who have been sentenced in Sunshine Coast courts
From a fight over an affair to defrauding a person in care, more than 20 women of all ages have had to face up to their offending in the past year.
Sunshine Coast
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Many women have faced Sunshine Coast courts in the past months for their offending, including planned robberies, sophisticated fraud or common assault.
From a social security worker and a nurse to university students and mothers, these are the women who have been sentenced in recent months.
See the list:
NO CONVICTIONS RECORDED
Dianne Lorraine Garozzo
Dianne Lorraine Garozzo, also known as Dianne Devine, profited more than a grand after duping her interstate buyer out of a nine karat gold piece of jewellery which she listed for sale on March 21, 2023.
Police prosecutor Mark Burrell told Caloundra Magistrates Court in September last year how she scammed her 41-year-old interstate buyer after she pleaded guilty to one count of fraud.
Senior Constable Burrell said the victim and Garozzo agreed on the purchase of a gold bracelet advertised on Facebook marketplace for $1000, and the victim ended up paying $1025.50.
Garozzo said she would post the piece of jewellery by express post after receiving the payments. The victim followed up with the Caloundra woman asking if it had been sent the next day.
“[Garozzo] abruptly responded to the victim, telling her to ‘chill’,” Senior Constable Burrell said, before the 59-year-old blocked the buyer.
The court heard the 59-year-old then relisted the bracelet on Facebook, with the victim not receiving either the jewellery or her money back.
Defence lawyer Josh Shanahan said Garozzo had worked in security and cleaning, but was now on the disability support pension.
Garozzo was fined $1000 and ordered to pay back $1025.50 in restitution.
No conviction was recorded.
Fleur Annabelle Iris Aveline
Fleur Annabelle Iris Aveline faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court on October 14 charged with bashing her ex-girlfriend on May 10, 2024.
Police prosecutor Mel Pyke told the court the victim, Aveline’s ex-girlfriend of 11 months, had stayed the night at Aveline’s Sippy Downs home on May 9 last year.
The court heard Aveline said “upsetting” things to the victim. Because of this the victim broke up with Aveline, while at her place.
On May 10, about 5.30am, the victim attempted to escape by climbing out of Aveline’s bedroom window. Ms Pyke told the court she was physically dragged backwards by Aveline – which was the start of the bashing.
Aveline then tackled her onto her bed. The victim was able to push her away and run out of the front door, but was grabbed by her ex-girlfriend.
When she was on the ground, Aveline punched her in the head twice and punched her arms.
“The victim was able to flee from the defendant and ran down the road,” Ms Pyke said.
Aveline chased her, grabbed her hair from behind, then got in front of the victim, and ripped her shirt up.
“And (she) aggressively grabbed the victim’s nipples,” Ms Pyke said.
She tried to run away again but Aveline hunted her down and dragged her onto the ground, punching her in the head again and attempting to rub mud in her face.
The victim continued her escape attempt, which resulted in Aveline pinning her to the ground and punching her again several times.
Aveline’s lawyer Michael Robinson asked for a conviction to not be recorded because Aveline dreamt of working as a registered psychologist in Queensland.
She pleaded guilty to common assault.
Aveline was sentenced to a 12-month probation order and no conviction was recorded.
Shaylan Jay Gassan
Shaylan Jay Gassan’s conduct was described as a “gross breach of trust” in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in November, 2024 after she admitted to defrauding a vulnerable person she was supposed to be looking after.
Details of the scheme were revealed following her guilty pleas to charges of stealing and fraud.
Police prosecutor Brendan Newman said Gassan was employed by a nursing care facility to look after the victim, with the offences taking place over a period of weeks.
The court heard Gassan stole the credit card from a patient in December last year at Mount Coolum and used it to make purchases of up to $3880.
Gassan’s solicitor, Michael Robinson, revealed that she had developed a gambling addiction to the pokies over two years.
Mr Bice sentenced her to 18 months of probation and 200 hours of community service.
Gassan was also ordered to pay $3880 in compensation to the victim and no convictions were recorded.
Darusila Edwards
Darusila Edwards told police she could not contain her anger after finding her husband’s girlfriend on his bus at the Caloundra bus interchange, leaving the victim with scratches to her face and arms.
Edwards accepted her guilt in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in December last year following her plea to one count of assault.
Police prosecutor James Allen said Edwards’ husband was working as a bus driver while the victim was riding along his bus as a passenger on the morning of July 16, 2024.
The court heard Edwards’ husband was having an affair with the victim at the time. Edwards and the woman had been friends for several years.
That morning, the husband and the victim were at a cafe along Bulcock St at Caloundra when Edwards approached them and started to abuse the victim, prompting the victim to leave and wait by the bus.
At the sight of her friend on the bus, Edwards became enraged and started to strike at the woman’s head with her hands.
Mr Allen said the woman suffered scratches to her faces and arms, with at least two strikes catching the woman’s face, and a struggle ensued.
Defence lawyer Adam Moschella said the attack was out of character and came about due to “emotional stressors” from the situation.
Acting magistrate Raelene Ellis fined the Palmwoods woman $1200, with no conviction recorded.
Jenny Maree Selfe
A registered nurse with a decades-long unblemished career pleaded guilty to forging prescriptions for diazepam and other offences spanning more than two years.
Jenny Maree Selfe, 60, appeared in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in December last year, where she pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing by clerks and servants, 25 charges of using a forged document, four counts of forgery, and one count of possessing dangerous drugs.
The court heard Selfe began forging prescriptions in September 2021 and used them between October 2021 and July 2024 while employed by Queensland Health in Nambour.
Her lawyer, Ken MacKenzie, said personal struggles, including a marriage breakdown and a strained relationship with her adult daughter, contributed to what he described as a “failure of judgment”.
Despite the offences, Magistrate Fowler acknowledged Selfe’s previously exemplary record and imposed a $3000 fine without recording a conviction.
Sunita Brungardt
Sunita Brungardt levelled a harsh strike to a woman’s face in the bellows of Ocean St in what Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard was a case of attacking the wrong woman.
Police prosecutor Bec Lambert told the court in February the victim was with friends in Ocean St about 1.30am on January 5 when the 28-year-old started screaming in her face.
Brungardt slapped the women in the face, causing minor cuts to the inside of her mouth and bleeding from an ear piercing.
The assault was reported to police, with officers finding Brungardt still in the Maroochydore Safe Night Precinct. She told police she believed the victim had elbowed her in the face at a nightclub earlier in the evening, but Brungardt had mistaken her identity when she attacked.
Duty lawyer Ben Rynderman said the mother-of-three had been adjusting to the end of a long-term relationship when she was out that evening, and had only been out on nights like that four times in her life.
Brungardt pleaded guilty to assault in public while adversely affected and was ordered to complete 40 hours’ community service. She must pay $400 in compensation to the “still bewildered” victim.
No conviction was recorded.
Britney Grace Robinson Meldrum
Britney Grace Robinson Meldrum rained down blows on two separate victims on a night out in Ocean St, Maroochydore on November 9 last year.
The court heard in April how the 18-year-old lined up for Solbar about 9pm where she was denied entry to the venue due to being too drunk.
Police prosecutor Mark Burrell said a Robinson Meldrum punched a security guard in the head three times after a brief conversation, before she was restrained by other guards.
She continued her barrage of punches when the guards’ restraint was loosened, and struck the bar manager when he attempted to intervene.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault and failing to leave a licensed premises at Maroochydore Magistrates Court in April, along with a charge of failing to appear in court on January 15
Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist placed Robinson-Meldrum on a two-year probation order and fined her $400. No conviction was recorded.
CONVICTIONS RECORDED
Bronwyn Sherie Holcombe
Bronwyn Sherie Holcombe’s “blind” drunk trip to the local pub was only 1.4km long, however the decision to get behind the wheel with her neighbour on September 9, 2022 altered their lives forever.
The trail of destruction was heard in August, 2024 in Maroochydore District Court following pleas of guilty to dangerous operation of a car causing grievous bodily harm while adversely affected and driving under the influence of liquor.
Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks said Holcombe and her neighbour planned to go to the Palmwoods Hotel for drinks that night.
She said Holcombe was heavily intoxicated at the time but nevertheless decided to drive when her neighbour asked.
Ms Marks said she drove her small Nissan Tiida with her unrestrained passenger the three minutes up the road when she failed to negotiate a bend on Chevallum Rd.
The crown prosecutor said Holcombe’s vehicle crossed the white double lines and ploughed straight into a Toyota Prado four-wheel-drive.
After being trapped in the vehicle, Holcombe’s neighbour was rushed to the intensive care unit where she suffered multiple fractures including to her spine, ribs, hip and wrist, along with bleeding behind her abdominal cavity.
Holcombe later returned a blood-alcohol content of 0.300 per cent, six times the legal limit.
Defence barrister Lily Brisick said Holcombe completed significant rehabilitation after she was charged and was deeply remorseful, even writing a letter of apology to the victim.
She was jailed for three and a half years, to be suspended after she served nine months of actual custody.
Holcombe was also disqualified from driving for four years.
Sheryl Laine Arthur
Maroochydore Magistrates Court was told in August, 2024, Sheryl Laine Arthur used money which virtually landed “in her lap” on her own personal bills, hotel accommodation and even her own car.
Her flagrant deception was heard following her plea of guilty to fraud by dishonestly gaining a benefit of value over $30,000.
Police prosecutor Tara Miles said the mother of three appointed the victim to sell a house, when in the process of the property settlement, an accountant made an error and transferred an extra duplicant amount of money into Arthur’s bank account on October 20, 2023.
The court heard this amount was for $108,476.02, with Arthur repaying up to $61,000 back.
Senior Constable Miles said the accountant located the fatal mistake however the Beerwah mum went to ground with the remaining $47,476.02 and ignored multiple attempts to be contacted.
Evidence before the court showed Arthur actually tried to hide the funds by dispersing the money into different accounts.
Defence lawyer Matthew Cooper said Arthur was of good character and a contributing member of the community, pointing towards her volunteer work at her children’s school and time teaching yoga to the elderly.
Arthur was sentenced to 30 months’ jail, to be suspended immediately for 30 months.
Cianna Janette Doyle and Brittany Marie Gray-Ferguson
Two women were sentenced for concealing a man’s blood-soaked shirt after he broke into a house and stabbed another person.
Cianna Janette Doyle and Brittany Marie Gray-Ferguson each pleaded guilty to one count of accessory after the fact to a burglary and wounding offence.
Crown prosecutor Alex Stark told Maroochydore District Court on August 30, 2024, that Doyle had driven to the victim’s home to recover some items with Gray-Ferguson and a third co-offender on the day of the incident in 2021.
Mr Stark said the victim was sleeping when the male co-offender, wearing a black face mask, broke into his Maroochydore home before he punched and stabbed the victim several times.
The victim had told police he had seen the two women inside the home but they were not charged with any break-in or wounding offences.
Mr Stark told the court Doyle had then driven the trio to the Sunshine Plaza, where they dumped the man’s blood-soaked shirt, and Gray-Ferguson bought a replacement.
Defence barrister Jack Kennedy said his client, Doyle, was a single mother living on a large property to care for the homeowner who had lost his legs.
Defence barrister Nicholas Brown said it was admitted his client Gray-Ferguson was struggling with drug issues.
Judge Glen Cash sentenced Doyle to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years and Gray-Ferguson was sentenced 18 months’ imprisonment with immediate parole.
Kristy Peta Towns
Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard in September last year how Kristy Peta Towns objected to even telling police what happened to the expensive property she stole from a Bronwyn St address on January 13, 2023.
The woman’s blatant burglary was heard after she pleaded guilty to entering a premises to commit an indictable offence by break, stealing, possessing dangerous drugs and contravening a police direction.
The court heard Towns was involved in the theft of more than $8000 of metal.
Police prosecutor Mel Pyke said the Marcoola woman did not give the “very expensive” property back which was taken and did not nominate her co-accused.
Defence lawyer Patrick Meehan said the mother had worked in cleaning and support work in the past but had struggled with drugs during her life. She however hoped to engage in rehabilitation.
She was jailed for six months, which was suspended immediately for 18 months. She was also fined $600.
Convictions were recorded.
Indigo Sloan-Goodall
Indigo Sloan-Goodall’s spiral into drug use was heard in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in September, 2024 following her guilty pleas to more than 20 charges spanning over eight months.
Police prosecutor Shane Raison said her offences began late on October 25, 2023 where she was seen reversing her car onto a concrete footpath at the Kawana Waters Hotel car park.
Officers spotted Sloan-Goodall and activated their lights for her to stop, however she increased her speed and drove off along Nicklin Way.
The court heard two days later she was seen at the Nambour 7-Eleven in a Jeep Cherokee with police being called.
Officers saw Sloan-Goodall driving along Lamington Tce when she accelerated onto the wrong side of Arundel Ave and manoeuvred around another car at speed.
She was also seen driving a stolen Mazda CX-5 between November 3 and 11, 2023.
Police raided a Nambour home looking for a wanted person on December 23, 2023 and found Sloan-Goodall, who was in possession of marijuana and a bong at the property.
A few months later on February 2, 2024, investigators came back to the same property and found cannabis, prescription tablets and drug items in Sloan-Goodall’s possession.
Senior Sergeant Raison said Sloan-Goodall then acted as a “lookout” for a burglary at a Golden Beach house on June 22, 2024, where her friend stole items from the victim’s home.
Defence lawyer Katie Paterson said Sloan-Goodall was remorseful for her actions and fell into drug use following the death of her grandma.
Sloan-Goodall was sentenced to 12 months and 50 days’ jail, disqualified from driving for two years and was ordered to pay some restitution.
Her parole release date was set at November 15, 2024
Destiny Jayde Azalia Hogno
Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard Destiny Jayde Azalia Hogno’s crimes stretched from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast between October 17, 2023 and May 27, 2024.
Her crimes ranged from unlawfully using motor vehicles, stealing fuel, taking motorcycles, driving unlicensed, possessing drugs and bail breaches partnered with stealing people’s car keys.
She pleaded guilty to 19 charges while in custody in court in September last year.
The court heard a lot of Hogno’s offences were committed while on bail and a probation order, where she would drive stolen cars, including crashing her pilfered ride into another vehicle on a roundabout before driving off.
Police prosecutor Bec Lambert said the Little Mountain woman provided limited co-operation to authorities after being arrested for her “opportunistic and simple” offending.
Defence lawyer Patrick Meehan said in a letter penned by Hogno to the court, she spoke about learning a lot while being on remand, with it being the “best option” for her to get clean from drugs.
Acting magistrate Anna Smith said one of the more serious offences included Hogno gaining entry into a storage unit where she stole keys and took a car, but accepted she was young at the time, suffered from drug addiction and was battling bouts of homelessness.
Hogno was given a head sentence of 18 months’ jail, but was granted immediate parole release, with her 120 days in custody declared as time served.
Convictions were recorded.
Melissa Nellie Ann Stanley
The Maroochydore District Court heard in October, 2024 how disagreements over pet dogs were the catalyst for a brutal attack on an unsuspecting neighbour at the hands of Melissa Nellie Ann Stanley.
Crown prosecutor Rhys Byrne said their tensions came to a head on March 12, 2021 when Stanley started to yell at the victim’s husband over their fence.
Mr Byrne said an intoxicated Stanley then turned her abuse to the victim as she walked from her car and, out of the blue, Stanley’s partner and the victim’s husband allegedly started to wrestle. Neither have been charged of any wrongdoing.
The crown prosecutor said as this was happening, Stanley slogged the woman in the face.
Mr Byrne said the victim was unsteady on her feet when Stanley pulled her victim by the hair to the ground and kicked her in the chest
She pleaded guilty to a single count of assault.
Defence barrister James Feely was instructed Stanley felt “embarrassed and ashamed” for her conduct and conceded she should not have gone outside that day.
Judge Glen Cash jailed Stanley for nine months, to be suspended immediately for nine months.
Taylah Adrian Leahy
A woman who swore at a supermarket worker during a shoplifting incident has learned her fate in court.
Taylah Adrian Leahy, of Caloundra, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge in Maroochydore District Court in November last year in relation to the incident.
Legal officer Liam Dennis told the court Leahy entered the store, placed items in her trolley and bags, and ate food while “talking to herself.”
“She appeared to be intoxicated while she was in the store,” Mr Dennis said.
When Leahy attempted to leave without paying, two staff members confronted her.
She shoved a female attendant, causing her to fall onto a sign, and began swearing at the employees.
Leahy then struggled with a male employee who grabbed her trolley, attempting to pull it back from him.
Barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown described Leahy’s “downward spiral” as beginning after her 2015 separation from her husband.
She then turned to substance abuse, which, along with her untreated mental health challenges, compounded her difficulties.
Judge Glen Cash acknowledged the four months Leahy had already spent in custody and released her on parole, requiring her to complete drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.
Tanya Pluckhahn
Tanya Pluckhahn received her sentence in Maroochydore District Court on April 24 for various fraud charges which she pleaded guilty to in 2024.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Gary Long told the court Pluckhahn, alongside a co-offender, defrauded six victims of a total of $69,195 in total over a period of two years.
Judge Long said the offending happened in the context of her co-offender’s business going bankrupt, with legitimate loans of $397,000 looming over their heads.
He noted Pluckhahn was involved in defrauding some victims by convincing them to invest money into the music career of Sunshine Coast musician Alys Ffion, who was not aware of the offending and has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
In the ruse, Pluckhahn went as far as to impersonate solicitors, claiming family members were sick and her partner had died by suicide.
Pluckhahn, without her co-offender, also defrauded a family member by stating Parsons had been kidnapped and she needed money to pay the ransom.
Judge Long took note of references speaking of her good character and a psychologist report which suggested Pluckhahn was at low risk of reoffending.
He told the court Pluckhahn had stable employment since her last offence and currently assists in running several Sunshine Coast hotels, which also offer emergency accommodation.
She was given 21 months’ imprisonment wholly suspended for two years.
Pluckhahn had admitted guilt to one of fraud — dishonestly cause detriment and fraud — dishonestly cause detriment value of or over $30,000 in 2024.
Angela Bridgette Gorrell
Angela Bridgette Gorrell walked free from Maroochydore District Court in December, 2024 after admitting to running her own drug trafficking business from her home in Witta from October 2021 to October 2023.
The Witta woman’s operation was uncovered following a raid on her home on October 19, 2023.
Crown prosecutor Rhys Byrne said police found 3g of marijuana, a grinder and a pipe, and Gorrell was given notice to appear in court.
What piqued the interest of police however was the discovery of a tick sheet which depicted a debt owed to her of $350.
Her phone was seized, and police found messages about drug deals to six people.
Mr Byrne said the pregnant Witta woman confessed to making $600 from sales each week however her profits went to buying her own marijuana stash.
She was charged and later pleaded guilty to trafficking in dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing utensils.
Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown said her drug dealing came in the context of a violent relationship which led to her dependence on marijuana.
She was jailed for two and a half years’, suspended immediately for three years.
Adele Rachael Quarrell
A mix of meth, domestic violence and gambling were the catalysts for Adele Rachael Quarrell’s scam where she ripped off Services Australia of tens of thousands of dollars through dozens of claims from March 22 to June 15 in 2022.
Maroochydore District Court heard in December, 2024 how the woman committed her government swindle after being employed by the Department of Social Services or Services Australia for more than two decades after being hired in 1999.
The court was told Quarrell kickstarted her scam by submitting false Covid-19 and disaster relief payment claims.
The court heard the Mooloolah Valley woman stepped up her scheme when she took “control” of the MyGov accounts of 16 people through her employment at DSS, and defrauded $30,000 over 39 false claims.
She had only paid back $1787.12 through $20 a fortnight payments.
She pleaded guilty to 39 counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
Defence barrister Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown said Quarrell was struggling with domestic violence around the time with her former partner introducing her to meth which led to an addiction.
Quarrell was jailed for 18 months, to be released after serving four months. She will be placed on a probation order for two years upon her release and must be of good behaviour for three years.
She must also pay back the $28,212.88 outstanding to the government.
Heidi Jane Sutton
Heidi Jane Sutton’s modus operandi or method stayed the same in 2022 where she would advertise a mobile phone for sale and ask the buyer to send either a deposit or the full amount to her bank account. She then completely ghosted them.
Her deception was heard in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in February this year after her pleas of guilty to 10 counts of fraud by dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
Police prosecutor Val Crossley said the woman used the social network site to conduct the scam which was “prolonged and repeated” and did so in a “calculated manner”.
Up to 10 victims were swindled by Sutton to the overall sum of $4474.
Defence lawyer Jamiee Burns said the swindle came in the context of a bad year in 2022 partnered with financial hardship, where she contracted Covid, lost her job and experienced isolation during the pandemic.
Sutton was handed a four-month wholly suspended jail term. She must pay back the money she scammed however this was referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry.
Michelle Rhiannon Loraine Laing
A woman sobbed without end as a court heard of a robbery that preceded a horrific crash which killed a dearly loved Sunshine Coast aged-care worker.
Michelle Rhiannon Loraine Laing was given three years’ imprisonment with immediate parole by Judge Gary Long in Maroochydore District Court on May 2.
Laing previously pleaded guilty to burglary at night in company, robbery with violence and unlawful use of a motor vehicle in company while armed at night.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Long noted Laing’s co-offender was Izak Kane Sefton-Bennett who, following the events of the robbery, caused a crash that killed Christella Tan on September 15, 2023.
Ms Tan was not involved in any offending and was not charged of any wrongdoing.
In a previous appearance by Laing on April 17, the court was told by Crown prosecutor Sanaz Masoumi the pair knew the robbery victim through mutual friends, who allegedly heard through another friend the victim had called Sefton-Bennett “a dog”.
Ms Masoumi said the pair “retaliated and conspired” to break into his home and steal drugs and cash from the man.
On September 15, 2023, Ms Masoumi said Sefton-Bennett barged in armed with a gun and black baton, which he used to strike the victim in the arm.
He then asked Laing to scour the home for drugs and cash. She took meth, cigarettes, diazepam, and the keys to the man’s vehicle, the court heard.
They then fled from the property where the co-accused was the driver and Laing the passenger, while the victim ran to a neighbour’s home who called an ambulance.
Judge Long accepted Laing had not expected her co-offender to show up armed with a firearm, but had continued to participate in the robbery.
Coco JB Joyce Bishop-Hewitt
Coco JB Joyce Bishop-Hewitt decided to walk away from the scene when her victim was being attended to by stunned onlookers before she was located by police at a nearby intersection.
Her brutal attack on a woman doing her job as a security officer at Sunshine Plaza was retold in Maroochydore District Court in April following her guilty plea to robbery with personal violence.
Legal officer Lily Breedon said she was seen leaving Kmart on May 7, 2023 with a trolley full of clothes without paying.
The court heard security was tasked to speak to Bishop-Hewitt, who continually asked the mother-of-three for a receipt for the $494 worth of items taken and to return to the store. Bishop-Hewitt continued to ignore the woman and said she did have a receipt and claimed the items belonged to her.
The security officer grabbed her wrist, prompting Bishop-Hewitt to headbutt the woman, landing a second blow when the officer tried to apprehend her.
Other security officers arrived and detained Bishop-Hewitt but the female security officer suffered a medical episode requiring CPR.
Judge Gary Long jailed the Currimundi woman for 15 months, however with time already served, granted her immediate parole.
Originally published as LIST: Women who have been sentenced in Sunshine Coast courts