Couple burgled by sister

A NEWCOMB woman caught her sister burgling her home, a court has heard.

The woman and her partner arrived home about 3.15pm on April 9 to find their back door ajar and a wet footprint on the doorstep.

After hearing a noise, the man went to a bedroom in the home and was confronted by his partner’s sister, Anne Borsi.

The Geelong Magistrates’ Court heard Borsi, 46, immediately attacked the man, striking him on the head with a brick and hitting him with a walking stick before her sister entered the room.

Police were called to the scene and used OC spray to help restrain the burglar, who had jewellery and other items from the home in her pockets and bags.

Defence lawyer Wendy Gibbons said Borsi “was ex- tremely embarrassed” to be in court on charges of burglary, assault, using threatening words and resisting police. It was her first court appearance.

She said the offences were underpinned by a family dispute, and the defendant’s mental health and alcohol issues, but said the cafe worker was working to cope with these challenges.

“This was out of character for you, but you weren’t well at the time,” magistrate Gregory McNamara said.

He fined Borsi $500 with costs of $120, admitting it was a “modest” penalty given the seriousness of the charges she pleaded guilty to.