Jessica Camilleri trial: NSW prison officers recall terror of being attacked by woman jailed for beheading her mother in western Sydney in 2019

Two women describe “excruciating” attacks by an inmate who was jailed for decapitating her mother in a frenzied attack that left more than 100 stab wounds.

Jessica Camilleri was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the brutal murder of her mother in western Sydney in 2019.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of manslaughter over the bloody attack, which saw her stab her mother at least 100 times, slit her face open and decapitate her with a series of blows.

She was sentenced to more than two decades behind bars at Silverwater Prison, where she then assaulted and injured two Correctional Service officers.

Camilleri appeared in NSW District Court on Friday after admitting to twice assaulting and causing bodily harm to a law enforcement officer.

She had her dark hair tied in a round bun on one side of her head and appeared unmoved as her victims described the impact of her attacks.

Prison guards were exiting the prisoner’s cell in August 2021 when Camilleri rushed to the closing door and slipped through the opening, according to police facts.

She was told to go back to her cell and started walking back to the door when a prison guard turned her head to talk to another prisoner.

Video of the incident shows Camilleri reaching out and grabbing the woman’s hair and pulling a handful of hair from her scalp before being restrained by three officers.

The prison officer was left with a long bald spot on her scalp, where her hair had been forcibly pulled from the roots.

She sobbed hysterically as she told the court about the devastating impact of the “excruciating” attack.

“I felt lost and violated for weeks after the attack,” the woman said with tears in her eyes.

“It has caused me pain and lingering sadness and I often find myself crying at work or when I’m alone.”

Camilleri appeared in NSW District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to assaulting a prison officer

The long-serving prosecutor told the court she is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, hypervigilance and heightened anxiety as a result of Camilleri’s attack.

“I’m convinced that (the attack) will stay with me for the rest of my life,” she explained, tearfully.

When Ms Camilleri was interviewed about the painful attack, she admitted to pulling the officer’s hair but said she thought it was ‘just a few strands’.

“I don’t like (her),” she told police two days after the attack.

I just wanted to give (her) a little taste of (her) own medicine for the mess they’ve done to me…since I’ve been here.”

Less than two months later, the 29-year-old similarly assaulted a second prison guard in the yard.

As officers attempted to return her to her cell, body-worn video footage showed her grabbing a section of the second officer’s hair and yanking it vigorously.

The woman cried out in pain, but Mrs. Camilleri wouldn’t let go until she was stopped by a third officer.

The prison guard lost a worrying amount of her hair during the “damaging” attack, leaving two bald patches on her scalp, the court heard.

“The effects of this attack have had lasting and profound effects on my life,” she told the court.

“I am filled with grief and anger that this attack has happened.”

The long-serving prison officer said she endured anxiety, depressive episodes, PTSD and terrifying nightmares in the aftermath of the attack.

The 29-year-old assaulted another prison officer less than two months later after assaulting a female prison officer by pulling her hair

“I do believe that the price I paid for this incident was the deterioration of my mental health,” she said in a strong speech to the court.

She warned that Camilleri had developed a “noticeable pattern of behavior” when attacking guards and called for better protection of officers.

“Correct officers are not punching bags,” the woman said.

Both officers said they suffered ongoing pain and psychological trauma as a result of the attack.

READ MORE: Woman who beheaded her own mother and dropped her head in the street after stabbing her 100 times in a ‘horrific and brutal’ attack gets a reduced sentence