Tammy Marie Clark jailed for assaulting members of the public in Adelaide’s south

The middle-aged woman who tried to take a mother’s pram, attacked an off-duty cop and behaved bizarrely in a major shopping centre appeared stunned in court.

A Seacombe Gardens woman who poured coffee on a mother, assaulted an off-duty cop and attacked commuters at a train station in Adelaide’s south has been jailed.

Tammy Marie Clark, 44, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including assault and disorderly behaviour in the Christies Beach Magistrate Court earlier this month.

The court heard Clark assaulted a number of people across “two weeks of bizzareness” according to her defence counsel.

The court heard the first assault took place on June 14 where Clark was seen by shoppers and on CCTV spitting and walking into people outside of Strandbags in Westfield Marion, as well as rubbing her groin.

Tammy Clark pleaded guilty to a number of assaults at Oaklands Park earlier this month.

She was arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour, agreeing to not return to the centre as a part of her bail.

Several days later on June 17, Clark followed a young mother and her 10 year old daughter to their car at the same Marion shopping centre, with the belief the mother was going to hurt her daughter, the court heard.

“The defendant grabbed the mother around the neck and applied pressure,” the police prosecutor said.

“An off duty police woman was able to assist in aiding the mother, who was also later assaulted by the defendant who had pulled her hair.”

As the allegations were being read out in court Clark appeared in disbelief over her actions.

“That’s so weird,” she said.

On June 20 and 21, Clark further assaulted two women as they were arriving at the Oaklands Park train station.

One victim was kneed in the stomach by Clark while the other was hit to the left side of her face.

On June 22, Clark reached into a woman’s car in Seacombe Gardens, throwing personal belongings out of the car before punching the victim four times to the face.

A day later, a mother and her two children were walking to daycare along Diagonal Road at Oaklands Park, when Clark blocked their path and attempted to take the pram from the mother.

Amid the tussle, Clark grabbed a cup of coffee that had been placed in the pram and poured it over the mother and grabbed her by the hair.

“The victim described the defendant as manic as was having her hair pulled,” the prosecutor said.

“The victim sought refuge in a nearby childcare centre and had a cut under her eye.

“The fact these matters are unprovoked, in front of children, it’s a concern.

“People should be able to take their children to school and go on public transport without being assaulted.”

Clark’s defence counsel said his client had “limited memory of the offending” and was left astounded she could even commit the offences.

“She’s spent two weeks off the planet,” said the defence counsel.

“She tells me she was playing some music at the time on each occasion, which arises some major mental health issues.”

Clark was sentenced to nine months and 24 days imprisonment, six months suspended.

The sentence was backdated to June 23 of this year.