Two prison officers have recounted their terror after they were viciously set upon by a woman jailed for beheading her own mother.
A 24-year-old female corrections officer experienced the full force of Jessica Camilleri's outburst in August 2021 during a routine room inspection in a specialist unit at Sydney's Silverwater prison.
The victim choked back tears as she delivered her victim impact statement in court on Friday recounting how the inmate “latched onto her hair causing excruciating pain”.
“When I went back to the office, I had people point out a bald patch of hair on the left side of my scalp,” she said.
“Each hair strand had follicles attached to them which was evidently pulled with force.”
Two years on, the trauma remains with the young corrections officer who continues to experience the pain and ongoing sadness from the attack where she would cry at work and during moments alone.
“Returning to the unit of the attack reminds me of the assault and of the sweaty palms and clammy hands.”
“I find myself experiencing and reliving the events from August 14 - memories which I believe will remain with me for the rest of my life.”
Two months after that attack, Camilleri set upon another officer, this time a 21-year-old asked to handcuff her so she could be transported to another section of the facility.
Body-worn footage played to Downing Centre District Court showed the moment the inmate jumped onto the officer, grabbing and ripping a fistful of her hair from her scalp.
The victim is still undergoing psychological treatment two years on, telling of her post traumatic stress disorder and vivid nightmares that take her back to the moment of the attack.
“While I continue to physically endure pain and discomfort, the psychological toll is what weighs heaviest on me,” she told the court.
“It has shattered my sense of safety.”
The 29-year-old inmate pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a corrections officer.
Camilleri has been diagnosed with a myriad of mental health conditions, including poor anger control, impulsive behaviour, anxiety, panic disorder and intermittent explosive disorder.
Her lawyer Nathan Steel referred to the assessment by forensic psychiatrist Dr Richard Furst who said Camilleri's mental health issues diminished her capacity to control her emotions under stress.
The officers were only doing their duty, but Mr Steel said Camilleri's "subjective belief was that there was provocation".
Her attacks seemed to be "spontaneous and reactive responses", and she had shown some remorse with her early guilty plea, he said.
Crown prosecutor Fiona Jowett conceded the inmate's mental health and intellectual disability should be considered.
But she questioned whether Camilleri had shown remorse considering she had attacked the second officer less than two months after the first.
The court heard Camilleri had a tendency to grab the hair of her victims and had been involved in two other jail assaults when the two offences occurred.
She was imprisoned after being found guilty of manslaughter for stabbing her mother and cutting off her head in July 2019, but successfully reduced her sentence in May on appeal.
Camilleri will be sentenced on September 4.
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