No prison time for driver in Vic axe kill

A woman charged with assisting two men allegedly involved in the axe killing of a Victorian teenager has avoided prison time.

Timothy O'Brien, 14, died after being repeatedly struck to the head and body with an axe at a house near Ballarat in January last year.

Lisa Ann Trezise, 29, drove his alleged killers to and from the scene, but begged them to stop as they killed the autistic teenager with the axe, the Victorian Supreme Court heard on Friday.

Two of Trezise's three children were present at the killing.

In a statement to police, Trezise described the killing in graphic detail.

"I saw (one of the men) had picked up the axe and struck Timmy to the head with the blade side sharp end of the axe and I think other parts of the body," she said.

"I was screaming and trying to pull (the man) away.

"(The man) then struck me with a back hand to my face, that is when he was on top of Timmy hitting him."

He told her stop or "you and the kids are next".

Trezise's young son screamed "don't hurt my mum", the court heard.

She alleged the other man had earlier tried to strangle Timothy and hit him with the blunt part of the axe.

The attack allegedly began after Timothy struck both men with a baseball bat.

Trezise, of Ballarat, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and recklessly causing injury and criminal damage relating to earlier incidents.

Justice Terry Forrest said Trezise was a peripheral participant and none of the charges she pleaded guilty to involved complicity in the events that caused Timothy's death.

He said the irrational and aggressive behaviour of the two men made it difficult for her to reject their demands, that included driving them to and from the scene.

A psychiatrist found Trezise has a submissive and compliant personality, the court heard.

Justice Forrest sentenced Trezise to 21 months imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years.

The alleged killers cannot be named for legal reasons.