Woman gets conditional sentence for home attack

A Florence woman has been sentenced to complete a conditional sentence for her role in an attack on a Sydney Mines couple in their home last July.

Mary Jolene Gillard, 18, was among four people charged in connection with the attack and the only one to so far to have her case decided.

The four busted into the home around 4:30 a.m. and assaulted the couple inside before fleeing with food and prescription medications.

Gillard was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of unlawfully being in a dwelling and in possession of stolen property (food and medications).

The female victim told police that as she was being assaulted in her bedroom, she saw Gillard rummaging through her (the victim’s) pursue.

GIllard is now to complete a 12-month conditional sentence which allows offenders to serve their time in the community under strict conditions.

For the first eight months of the sentence, Gillard is to follow a 24/7 curfew with exceptions for medical, legal, and counselling appointments in addition to a four-hour period once a week. During the remaining four months, the curfew is relaxed.

She is also to take all treatment and counselling programs as recommended, especially for opiate addiction.

She is to have no contact with the victims and is to stay away from their home on Barrington Street in Sydney Mines. She is also to pay $467 in restitution to the couple for damages.

After completing her sentence, Gillard is then to serve a one-year probation period.