Woman allegedly captured on prison call demanding charges over alleged home invasion horror be dropped, court told

A woman accused of taking part in an alleged violent home invasion where a person was attacked with a machete allegedly demanded the victim drop the charges over a prison-recorded phone call, a court has been told. Iesha Jontue Craig, 33, is facing serious charges over the alleged attack on a couple in Upper Mount Gravatt earlier in April. The mum-of-two and her co-accused allegedly had their faces covered when they broke into the home, before one victim was slashed with a machete. On Tuesday, Ms Craig applied for bail in the Supreme Court in Brisbane – telling Justice Michael Copley there was a “serious risk” of her matter being delayed. Ms Craig, who represented herself, told the court there was a potential year-long wait for any trial in the District Court and said the case against her was “weak”, due to there being only one witness. She said she had limited access to ongoing drug and alcohol rehabilitation and relapse courses, as well as mental health care and specialised therapy she said was “essential” for her rehabilitation. “They are, unfortunately, inaccessible in custody,” Ms Craig said. She continued by saying there were bail conditions she could abide by to ameliorate any risk if she were granted bail. Ms Craig said her family otherwise risked homelessness due to their lease expiring in February. “We have already come from homelessness, Your Honour,” she said. “I’ve done a lot while I was out there, from my life in incarceration to change my life around.” Ms Craig is charged with burglary with violence, malicious act, going with a face masked, blackened or disguised, deprivation of liberty, robbery in company and breaching bail. Bail was opposed by the Crown, who argued Ms Craig risked committing other offences while on bail which would “endanger the safety and welfare” of the complainant, and risked interfering with witnesses. A Crown prosecutor told the court Ms Craig was allegedly recorded on prison phone calls asking to speak to the female complainant – demanding she drop the charges against her. The court was told Ms Craig allegedly broke into the Upper Mount Gravatt home with her co-accused on the morning of April 30. A couple were at the home and the female complainant had asserted Ms Craig and her co-accused had their faces covered with masks, Justice Copley read from the alleged facts. Police allege Ms Craig’s co-accused was armed with a machete and struck the male complainant repeatedly. A third co-accused allegedly visited “personal violence” on the same complainant’s head with a glass pipe, before tying up his legs with electrical cord. Ms Craig is alleged to have demanded the female complainant give up the location of drugs in the home before asking her to gather up all the CCTV cameras. “It’s not alleged Ms Craig visited the violence on the home occupant,” Justice Copley said. “But it is alleged she arrived with that group, one of whom was armed with a machete.” The male complainant suffered multiple wounds to his face, cheek, nose, hand and leg which required sutures and surgery. Police further allege Ms Craig failed to report to police on an earlier date, while on Supreme Court bail for unrelated offending. In his decision, Justice Copley said it wouldn’t be difficult to establish Ms Craig knew her co-accused was armed. “It’s a matter of concern a person who is the mother of two young children, who points to the fact she is such a mother as a reason for getting bail, would involve herself in such an escapade when she was on bail herself,” he said. Justice Copley ultimately refused bail. Ms Craig wiped tears from her eyes as she heard the decision.