Convicted murderer Veronica Jane Hay avoids jail after spitting at pregnant nurse in midst of pandemic

A woman who murdered a Mount Gambier man in 1991, committing a number of assaults since her release, has been sentenced after she spat in the face of a pregnant nurse.

A woman who’s committed a string of assaults since she was found guilty of murder has avoided any jail time after she spat in a pregnant nurse’s face in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a court has heard.

Veronica Jane Hay, 54, was ordered to serve a life sentence after the brutal killing of a Mount Gambier man in 1991.

In 1992 Hay, then 24, and two other men were found guilty of the murder by a jury and Supreme Court judge Justice Debelle sentenced them to life in jail, saying they would both be eligible for release in about 13-and-a-half years.

After being released, Hay was arrested on July 19, 2020, after spitting on a visibly pregnant nurse in an unprovoked attack at the Mount Gambier Hospital.

Since her 2020 arrest, Hay, failed to comply with her strict bail conditions 13 times.

Veronica Jane Hay pleaded guilty to spitting on a pregnant hospital worker. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Hay, who was brought into the emergency department by ambulance, approached her victim who was in a staff only enclosed room, a court has heard.

“The defendant entered the enclosed area and personal space of the victim — their faces were almost touching,” a police prosecutor said.

The court heard when the victim asked the accused to leave, Hay stepped back and spat in the nurse’s face — leaving spit and chewed up food on her face and neck.

Police prosecution read out the nurse’s victim impact statement, telling the court the accused was already known to hospital staff as someone who was repeatedly “verbally abusive”.

“She was only thinking of herself — myself and my unborn child was exposed to potential communicable diseases as well as the added risk of Covid,” she said.

“I felt instantly dirty — I didn't want my husband or my daughters to hug me because I still felt unclean.”

Hay’s was charged with one count of assaulting a hospital worker and 13 failure to comply with bail charges, which she pleaded guilty to at an earlier date.

Hay’s lawyer Tess Dunsford said the defendant had made positive steps towards rehabilitation, despite her sporadic compliance with bail, having committed no further acts of assault since 2020.

Ms Dunsford said her client had a positive experience after attending the hospital only a week ago.

Ms Dunsford said her client’s less than “glowing corrections report” was on account of Ms Hay being a vulnerable Indigenous woman who had a number of health conditions.

Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos said it was clear her mental health condition was exacerbated by drug use.

Though police prosecutors called for Hay’s imprisonment, Ms Kossiavelos said it would be a backwards step for the aboriginal woman who had begun taking positive steps.

Ms Kossiavelos said she would have sentenced the defendant to a total of five months and 24 days but said no further time needed to be spent in custody after taking om account time already served and the 18 months she’s spent on home detention.

“She has well and truly served the time that I would have given her in relation to any term of imprisonment,” Ms Kossiavelos said.