Shotley – Woman given suspended prison sentence for assault

A 35-year-old woman from Shotley has been given a suspended prison sentence and a restraining order, after she assaulted one of her neighbours.

Callan Brett appeared before Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, Monday 10 March, where she was sentenced to 12-months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days and be subject to six-months of GPS trail monitoring via a tag.

Additionally, she was given a five-year restraining order preventing any contact with the victim and once she has been found alternative accommodation, she will be barred from entering the parish of Shotley for the remainder of the order.

Brett, of Queensland, had been found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm following a trial at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on 30 August 2024.

This conviction was subsequently appealed and a new trial was held before a panel of judges at Ipswich Crown Court on 21 February, where she was once again found guilty and so the appeal was dismissed.

The unprovoked assault occurred at approximately 2.30pm on 19 June 2023 in Queensland. A woman was unloading shopping from her car when she was approached by Brett who was screaming at her.

Brett pushed her head into the victim’s head, before grabbing her hair and shaking her head. Brett then kneed the victim in the groin a number of times.

Brett had claimed that she only kneed the victim in the groin once and was acting in self-defence, but the court rejected both of these claims being satisfied that Brett was the aggressor and that the injuries the victim sustained were consistent with being kneed multiple times.

The victim received ongoing medical treatment for her injuries, which ultimately required her to undergo surgery.

On 15 November 2024 Brett was arrested for breaching court bail conditions which prohibited her from having any contact with the victim – either directly or indirectly. This constituted Brett walking past the victims’ home up to 10 times a day, making hand gestures and staring deliberately into her property.

Acting Sergeant Alasdair Nicol, of the Response Investigation Team, said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack which left the victim with a very nasty injury.

“I would like to commend the victim for their bravery over the past 20 months since the incident occurred. It has not been pleasant to continue living in close proximity to her attacker, as the incident where she breached her bail conditions demonstrated.

“The suspended sentence should now act as a deterrent to Brett from committing further offences, while I hope the restraining order and ultimate barring from the parish will provide some comfort to the victim.”