Salli-Anne Neyland who strangled 9-year-old boy with phone charger cable received extended non-parole

A mother who bragged about strangling a nine-year-old boy with a phone charging cable and hitting him with a metal pole has been punished more severely.

Adelaide woman Salli-Anne Neyland, 32, had her parole more than doubled on Thursday after she was sentenced in January to two years and 21 days in prison for strangling and assaulting the boy, who was not one of her is four children.

South Australia’s Court of Appeal heard Neyland texted ‘triumphantly’ that she had ‘hit’ the victim with a stake and strangled the little bastard after the shocking incident on January 17.

Neyland called the boy, who was placed in temporary care in December, to her bedroom and accused him of recording a video of a young child engaging in sexual acts.

When the boy denied this, Neyland wrapped a phone charging cable around his neck and strangled him three times with it, only stopping when he made gurgling noises.

Neyland texted a friend about her actions in assaulting the boy, whom she accused of filming a child during a sexual act

She also picked up a metal pole, which was part of a drying rack, and hit it numerous times on the thighs, buttocks and stomach to express her displeasure at the boy’s denials and did so over a period of several hours.

Neyland later texted a friend claiming the boy was “defs” a “pedo.”

“I hit him with a pole and strangled the little bastard,” she wrote.

“Fingers crossed, I’m not going to jail.”

A day after her brutal attack, Neyland kicked the boy in the face after he made what she thought was an inappropriate comment.

She threatened to “literally kill” him.

After her arrest, Neyland admitted her actions but stood by the allegations she made against the boy.

Police found no evidence of inappropriate content on the boy’s phone.

Following her sentencing in January, South Australia’s Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the non-parole period of five months, saying it was too short.

Prosecutor Michael Foundas argued on Thursday that the sentence was already too merciful and that this was compounded by the short non-parole period.

In sentencing Neyland to another 13-month non-parole, the Court of Appeal said the offenses had caused significant lasting harm to the victim.

Neyland pleaded guilty to her brutal assault on the boy, which included strangling him with a phone charger until he made ‘gurgling noises’

It was attended by several serious features, including that the complainant was a vulnerable nine-year-old child, who was in the custody and protection of the defendant at the time of the crime without the ability to independently access support or advocate for herself ,” the court ruled Adelaide advertiser.

He also suffered significant physical injuries from the attack and continues to suffer from emotional and psychological trauma and nightmares.

“In addition, the crime was not isolated and was not limited to a spontaneous incident, but involved numerous assaults in combination with threats over two days, as well as the use of weapons.”

Neyland can apply for release in February 2024.