Norlane kidnap claims

A NORLANE woman was arrested early yesterday, accused of kidnapping a younger woman in the same suburb a week earlier.

Police brought Tania Sweeney to Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday, and say they are on the hunt for her alleged co-offender.

It’s alleged the pair stormed into a Norlane home early on the morning of October 10, assaulted the 24-year-old female occupant and took her captive.

Sweeney, 51, appeared in Geelong Magistrates’ Court, facing charges of kidnapping, aggravated burglary, armed robbery, assault with a weapon, theft, obtain property by deception, driving while disqualified and unlawful possession of ammunition.

Representing herself, she applied for bail but was knocked back by magistrate Clive Alsop.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Peter Beard said the victim woke early on October 10 to loud banging and yelling at her front door, and found Sweeney with a metal pole, and her cooffender demanding the return of jewellery.

The pair were allegedly after a heart-shaped ring and Tiffany’s bracelet they believed the woman had, and the court heard they forced their way inside and attacked her, hitting her on the head with the pole and threatening her with a knife.

He alleged the pair forced the woman, who was “frozen with fear”, into Sweeney’s BMW and told her to lie down in the back seat as they drove her to Corio Central Shopping Centre. The court heard they took her to the shopping centre twice that morning, allegedly draining $600 from her bank account and bought groceries from Woolworths and Krispy Kreme doughnuts at a 7-Eleven before returning her to her home.

Sweeney, in tears, yesterday pleaded for bail, but Mr Alsop was unswayed and ordered she return to court on October 25.