Angry bomb threats end in conviction

AN INTELLECTUALLY impaired woman has been warned to stop phoning in fake bomb threats when she’s angry.

Jacinta Hanley, 23, rang St Margaret’s House young women’s shelter and a family acquaintance many times, saying there was a bomb on the property, then hanging up in July and August last year.

Crown prosecutor Eddie Coker said, while the staff at St Margaret’s House in Lake St did not take the call seriously, the family acquaintance did and called the police.

On one occasion she rang eight times and on another she said, “I’m going to bomb your house to (expletive) you”.

She also called while police were there and said: “I’m definitely going to blow your house up.”

Yesterday, she appeared in the Cairns District Court and pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including four counts of bomb hoax and threatening violence. She also apologised for her behaviour.

Judge Brian Harrison said, if not for Hanley’s impairment, she would be going to jail.

A psychiatrist’s report stated that she had difficulty in restraining distressing emotions.

“She’s been suitably chastised by this experience,” defence barrister Josh Trevino said. “She’s a very young woman who’s quite severely socially impaired.”

Because of this she had limited insight into the impact of her offending, he said.

But Judge Harrison said it appeared that considerable progress had been made this year. She was placed on 12 months probation and convictions were recorded.

Judge Harrison warned Hanley that if she continued such actions, she would be resentenced and could go to jail.

SHE’S BEEN SUITABLY CHASTISED BY THIS EXPERIENCE