Woman killed cat for meat before stabbing ex-partner
A woman slaughtered her pet cat for meat before stabbing her ex-partner in the neck as he lay in bed in a “bizarre” and “violent” crime.
Helen-Maree Noon faces jail time in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of attempted murder at the start of her trial on Monday.
Judge Michael Copley heard Noon, then 39, was homeless in 2022 and at times slept in style at his 50-year-old ex-partner’s Grantham home in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said she spoke to her ex-partner about their cat having problems with their hind legs on April 20 that year.
“There was an allegation that the cat was hit by a car. (Noon) said he felt sorry for the cat and wanted to put him out of his misery.”
Judge Copley heard at midday he took out a knife and slit the cat’s throat before beheading it.
Ms Gallagher said: “He skinned the cat along with the victim. They each took the cat’s hind legs and put them in the freezer.”
Two days later, the victim woke up at 4 a.m. to find Noon standing over her in her bedroom, holding a knife.
“Noon wasn’t worried because he usually carried a knife,” Ms Gallagher said.
“She stuck the knife into the side of his throat. He grabbed her arm and pushed her.”
Noon said he was sorry and gave the victim his phone before leaving the house.
The man managed to call for help and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Brisbane.
He was arrested at noon the next day and told investigators he planned to rip out the victim’s windpipe and sever his brainstem.
A psychiatrist found that Noon’s judgment was impaired by mental health problems but not completely absent.
Defense lawyer David Jones said the facts of the case were difficult to deal with.
“The facts are strange and violent. What Ms. Noon saw and thought was not real,” he said.
“He was ill at the time and did not take any medication.”
Mr Jones said Noon was suffering from significant stress.
“He perceived that the victim had done something wrong. He allowed her to loot the house, but the rent and food would be paid as sexual favors,” he said.
Judge Copley said the case was strange.
“Killing a cat is one thing; effectively dismembering it as if it were necessary for subsistence is very strange,” he said.
Noon wrote a letter to Judge Copley saying he was sorry for the harm he had caused.
The judge said Noon was a potential threat to public safety but also showed commitment to medication and counseling.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison after already being detained for three years and nine months.
Noon was ordered to apply for parole immediately.
