Woman tells court she'll stop being violent if she's not provoked
There were dramatic scenes in a Canberra court on Tuesday when a woman was led away to the cells after an outburst and she claimed she would stop being violent if people stopped provoking her.
The 34-year-old Lyneham woman, who the court has heard suffers from a number of mental health issues, was charged with two assaults, two thefts and causing grievous bodily harm.
The most serious charge relates to an incident at the Dickson Woolworths, where she allegedly pushed an 82-year-old woman, who fell and required emergency surgery for a broken hip.
She also assaulted two other women, one of whom she slapped and the other she punched, and she pleaded guilty to both assaults.
The woman also pleaded guilty to stealing a black dress and a necklace, despite telling the court "it was junk anyway".
She also questioned how she could be charged with the other theft as she had given the stolen items - a handbag, coin purse, bank card and keys - back to the woman she stole them from. However, she also pleaded guilty to the offence.
During her time in court, the woman was agitated and closely guarded by corrections officers. She cried, uncontrollably at times, banged the table and swore loudly.
At one stage she said she no longer wanted to be represented by her defence lawyer and when she found out she would not be getting bail on Tuesday she became considerably distressed.
She yelled at Magistrate Bernadette Boss that the elderly woman in Woolworths had run at her, which had caused her to allegedly push her.
"If they don't provoke it [violence], they don't get it," the woman said.
The woman's mother made an impassioned plea to the magistrate, that her daughter needed help and that this was a cycle of behaviour that needed to be addressed.
"We've only got each other in this world," her mother said.
Dr Boss eventually asked for the woman to be returned to the cells as she would not calm down and told the mother that anything she wanted to say should be directed to her daughter's solicitor.
However, Dr Boss also clearly held concern for the time it was taking for the matters to be finalised, not wanting the woman to be held in detention longer than was necessary.
"We can't just lock people up indefinitely, that's just not right," Dr Boss said.
But she also held concerns for the safety of the community, considering the woman's charges for assault.
Dr Boss accepted a psychiatrist's report that she was fit to plead to the charges.
The matter will return to court later this month.