Vicious attack on Toronto woman: Female duo sentenced in Newcastle

The victim, Kiesha Benson, had been friends with one of her attackers before they had a falling out.

Rebecca Benson, 25, and Georgia Mescall, 20, were sentenced in the Newcastle District Court on Tuesday over the attack.

Both pleaded guilty to one count of common assault and one count of aggravated break and enter and commit an indictable offence.

Rebecca Benson believed that Kiesha had reported her to authorities and wanted to 'protect' her family, the court was told.

So when they crossed paths, about 1.30am on October 6 last year, at a service station in Toronto, things did not go well.

Benson launched at Kiesha hitting her, pulling chunks of her hair out, and later kicking her on the ground. Mescall joined in, also hitting her.

When Kiesha tried to escape, the women followed her and starting punching her and pulling chunks of her hair out again.

The two offenders then went to Kiesha's house which she shared with her 60-year-old mother and others, including an infant.

Kiesha was not at the premises but the two women kicked down the front door, and then tried to force their way into Kiesha's mother's locked bedroom, almost injuring the baby.

The 60-year-old woman was in shock, police said, with bruises to her left arm, leg and thigh from trying to keep the door shut and protect the infant.

A blood smear on the outside of her door matched Rebecca Benson, while fingerprints matched Mescall.

Both women were on conditional liberty at the time, and, upon being arrested, admitted to the first attack at the service station, but denied going to Kiesha's house.

Judge McGrath described the attack as a sustained verbal and physical attack which was about mid-range in the full range of offences which fall under common assault.

The court heard that Rebecca Benson has experienced domestic violence throughout her life including at the hands of a former partner who was actively stalking her at the time of the offences.

Mescall was sentenced to two years and two months, to be served by way of intensive correction order, with conditions including that she attend victim services counselling and narcotic anonymous.

Benson was placed on a two and a half year intensive community corrections order on the condition that she stay away from drugs and alcohol and participate in several programs.

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