A 43-year-old Orange foster mother who spat on a police officer after she and a male companion were arrested has been ordered to complete 150 hours of community service.
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“The police are there for the community and they don’t expect to be spat on,” Orange Local Court Magistrate Terry Lucas told the woman.
The woman’s solicitor Michael Madden said his client was going through a difficult stage in her life when the offence occurred and she had a responsibility to care for a 14-year-old foster child, who she had taken in as an infant.
“She’s not a person with many police matters on her record and she has been a victim of domestic violence,” Mr Madden said.
However, he said a combination of cannabis and alcohol had caused his client to show a lack of impulse control, resulting in her being charged with assault and using offensive language.
Mr Madden said before she assaulted police, his client had actually helped them subdue her male companion, who had pulled a knife on police and forced them to draw their service revolvers for protection.
When Mr Madden said it was rare for the woman to consume alcohol and cannabis at the same time and wanted to be a fully functioning member of the community, she began to cry.
Mr Lucas told the woman she was fortunate in the way her defence was put to the court.
“Mr Madden has saved you, because I could send you to jail,” he said.
He imposed a fine of $300 for offensive language and placed the woman on a good behaviour bond under the supervision of probation and parole services.
“Do this again, drugs or other reasons, and you will go to jail,” Mr Lucas said.
