Latest news with #JudgeTurnbull
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Daughter who decapitated her mother before dumping her head outside the family home has her prison sentence REDUCED
A woman who cut her own mother's head off in a frenzied attack will spend less time behind bars following an appeal of her latest sentence for attacking a prison officer. Jessica Camilleri, 37, was jailed for a minimum 16 years for the brutal murder of her mother Rita Camilleri, 59, in 2019. The then 30-year-old stabbed her mother more than 100 times before dumping her severed head outside the family home in St Clair in western Sydney. Camilleri was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter in 2021, owing to 'substantial' mental health issues. She has since had another 17 months added to her sentence over multiple attacks on prison officers, often by pulling their hair from their scalps. The court previously heard that Camilleri struggled in isolation and was 'constantly' segregated from other inmates Camilleri pleaded guilty to common assault in Penrith Local Court last month over the most recent attack at Dillwynia Correctional Centre on March 13 this year. She recently lodged an appeal against the severity of the six-month sentence with her lawyers requesting it be wholly or substantially concurrent with her existing sentence. Judge Graham Turnbull upheld the conviction and severity of the latest sentence in Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. However, it was varied so part of the sentence would be served concurrently with her earlier sentences, Penrith Press reported. While Judge Turnbull noted that Camilleri's attacks on the officers were 'situational' rather than premeditated, he added it was important to condemn her actions. Camilleri's most recent sentence was previously due to start in December 2032, but it has been moved four months forward. It means that she could now be eligible for parole as early as February 2033. The latest attack unfolded just days after prison sources revealed that Camilleri was terrorising her prison wing and that authorities don't know what to do with her. 'She has become an ongoing problem,' a prison insider told Daily Mail Australia. Jessica Camilleri remains behind bars at Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney's west 'She has to be monitored at all times because she will use any opportunity to cause harm. 'There has already been time added to her sentence for attacks involving extreme hair pulling. 'She has scalped people with her bare hands and anything can set her off.'
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Astronomical' cocaine use and debt lands man in jail
A man who got caught up with an international drug syndicate was trying to clear a $15,000 debt he amassed by consuming an "astronomical" amount of cocaine, a court has been told. Connor McFarlane was arrested in April 2024 after being caught red-handed while trying to collect a shipment of about 25kg of ketamine which had been smuggled into Australia. The 23-year-old drove a rental car to the Sydney location provided by an acquaintance to collect the drugs, estimated to have a street value of $7.35 million. McFarlane didn't know what kind of drug he was collecting or that it was a commercial quantity, Judge Graham Turnbull said while sentencing him to a maximum of four years in jail. Penrith District Court was told the drugs had been stashed inside three cars, but were detected by authorities and replaced with an inert substance. McFarlane was told his participation would clear a debt of between $10,000 and $15,000, which he amassed due to a cocaine addiction. Prior to the offence, Judge Turnbull noted McFarlane reported consuming just under an ounce of cocaine in a week, "which is an astronomical amount". "It was not an insubstantial debt and accordingly that may well have suggested to (McFarlane) this was not an insubstantial importation that he was to be involved in," he said. The judge said McFarlane's involvement showed his immaturity, ignorance of the consequences, and his impaired thinking as he "wallowed in a drug-addicted lifestyle". "He seems to me to be a young man who's walked into something far beyond his contemplation," he said. "It's young men and women like the offender who provide easy marks for drug syndicates." The court was told sophisticated international networks sourced the drugs, concealed them, and dispatched them to Australia before McFarlane was tasked with collection. While the 23-year-old only became involved in "the last step" of the offence, Judge Turnbull said it was a crucial task to the success of drug importation. He took into account McFarlane's difficult upbringing and dedication to rehabilitating himself, but said there must be a stern warning to would-be traffickers that the risk of severe punishment cancelled out financial rewards. McFarlane was sentenced to four years behind bars for attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful import. He will be eligible for parole in July 2026 after a year and nine months in jail.
