A blonde temptress who used her good looks to lure a man to her home before her lover robbed her will escape prison largely due to her low intelligence.
Shanae Heers, 22, guilty pleafound guilty in Victoria County Court on Tuesday of false imprisonment, robbery and possession of methamphetamines and cannabis.
Heers was originally accused of luring multiple men, but a plea deal led to her appearing in court for a single victim.
And he escaped prison after a judge determined that his shockingly low IQ required a special sentence tailored to his limited intellect.
The court heard that a 36-year-old man had met Heers after responding to her online advert inviting men to her home for hook-ups in the week before Christmas 2021.
The court heard his victim agreed to pay Heers for sex, but when she arrived at his home in Corio in Geelong, an hour west of Melbourne, she found another man already on her couch.
The court heard Heers told the man that the mystery man was his brother and that they had to leave the house because their mother was on her way home.
But as the pair headed to their car, things turned sinister when it became clear that her “brother” was Heers’ lover and was working with her to rob his victim.
Shanae Heers, 22, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Victoria County Court to false imprisonment, robbery and possession of methamphetamines and cannabis.
The court heard Heers and his lover became increasingly aggressive until he suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at his hapless victim.
He then threatened to shoot his online date in the legs if she didn’t hand him cash.
Even Heers was shocked when the gun appeared, the court heard, and told the gunman to put it down.
After stealing the man’s wallet, he was taken to Corio Village shopping centre, where Heers attempted to withdraw money using his victim’s bank card.
The court heard the bumbling offender, who was told has an IQ of just 63, had no idea how to use it and forced his victim to get out of his car and enter the PIN number.
But while they were at the ATM, his accomplice fled in the victim’s car, abandoning both Heers and his terrified victim.
The fugitive gunman was sentenced to two years in prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to armed robbery and related crimes.
After refusing his victim’s offer to go with him to the local police station, Heers fled the scene in a taxi with the $100 he had withdrawn from the ATM.
When the police finally caught up with her, Heers immediately confessed and identified her accomplice to the police.
The court heard his victim agreed to pay Shanae Heers for sex, but when he arrived at her home in Corio in Geelong, an hour west of Melbourne, he found another man already on his couch.
She spent 21 days behind bars before being released on bail.
His lawyer, Sandra Wendlandt, told the court her client had suffered a shocking childhood and remained “vulnerable”.
Now the mother of a young child, Heers continued to struggle with drug abuse, and her low intelligence qualified her as living with a full-blown intellectual disability.
Judge Gerard Mullaly said it was this disability that should allow her to be released back into the wild with a special community corrections order designed for offenders of low intellect.
Judge Mullaly said “avoiding jail was a high priority” in Heers’ case, due to his age, lack of previous convictions and intellectual disability.
He ordered that Heers be evaluated to comply with that order before returning to court for sentencing in February.
Heers’ bail was extended until that date.