Raina Jane Cruise found guilty of scalping an on-duty SA Police officer

A failed anti-vax political candidate who wore Covid masks as underwear has learned her fate over allegations she scalped an SA Police officer in a violent brawl.

Failed anti-vax political candidate Raina Jane Cruise has been found guilty of scalping an on-duty SA Police officer – and her history of similar offending can now be revealed.

On Thursday, the District Court found Cruise guilty of one count of assaulting a prescribed emergency services worker, namely Constable Anthea Beck.

Her violent, alcohol-fuelled attack left Constable Beck with numerous injuries, and with sections of her scalp ripped from her head.

Prosecutors asked Cruise’s bail be revoked, saying they would pursue a prison term and that she had a previous conviction for assaulting police in 2005.

They said she had a “history of violent offending” – but her counsel insisted that her alcohol use could be explained by her grief over the deaths of her infant child and husband.

Raina Jane Cruise outside court. Picture: David Mariuz

Ms Cruise, 39, pleaded guilty to assaulting two Exeter Hotel security officers on October 17, 2021 after a disagreement over the venue’s Covid mask policy.

However, she pleaded not guilty to intentionally causing harm to Constable Beck on the same night.

At trial, prosecutors alleged Ms Cruise was “argumentative, belligerent, obnoxious and frankly dangerous” during the encounter, which was recorded on police bodycam.

They alleged she waved her hands in front of police and said “obey me”, and compared them to “Nazi Germany”, before “latching on” to Constable Beck.

They further alleged Ms Cruise said “I will smash you one-on-one, b*tch” as she pulled clumps of hair from Constable Beck’s scalp.

Injuries sustained by SA Police Constable Anthea Beck, allegedly inflicted by Raina Jane Cruise. Picture: District Court registry

Constable Beck lost clumps of hair in the incident, allegedly due to Ms Cruise. Picture: District Court registry

Counsel for Ms Cruise – who made an unsuccessful bid for the federal Senate as an anti-vax candidate – argued Constable Beck had been acting unlawfully at the time.

They claimed she did not say she was arresting their client – who posted photos of herself wearing Covid masks as underwear during her campaign – and was therefore outside her duties.

Giving evidence, Constable Beck conceded she had struck Ms Cruise twice during their altercation.

“She has got a handful of my hair, she’s got control of my head, she’s jerking me around and it hurts, she’s on top of me and I can’t get out,” she said.

An image of Ms Cruise, wearing Covid masks as a bra, from her Instagram account.

Another Covid mask image from Ms Cruise’s account.

“I was losing control of the situation, I was scared for my safety – I was very scared – because I had this person who was fairly heavy on top of me.

“I’m alone, there’s no one coming, I have to get out of this situation because how many times do I let her hit the back of my head into the footpath?”

Ms Cruise did not take the stand to give evidence in her trial.

In her verdict on Thursday, Judge Joanne Deuter said Cruise was “part of a group” involved in a disturbance at the Exeter, which Constable Beck and her partner had been tasked to investigate.

“There was a heated conversation and ultimately a confrontation between the accused and a female officer who sought to arrest her,” she said.

“I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt, upon all of the evidence, that the accused intended to harm Constable Beck.

“I find that the evidence establishes that the accused, by her actions and verbal threats, made it impossible for Beck to fully inform of the reason for her arrest.

“I am (also) satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that, in all the circumstances, Constable Beck was acting in the course of her official duties as a police officer.

“I find that the actions of the accused in response to Beck’s approach was unlawful … I find, on the evidence, that the accused is guilty of the charged offence.”

Prosecutors asked Cruise be remanded in custody, saying the presumption in favour of bail had been “displaced” by the verdict and Cruise’s criminal history.

They said it included “a number of violent offences including the assault of a police officer on a previous occasion” in 2005.

Andrew Graham, for Cruise, asked his client remain on bail while he obtained psychological reports ahead of sentencing submissions.

“Cruise has gone through more in her life than most people have, including having her infant child pass away at a very young age and her husband die in an accident,” he said.

“It might very well be that the alcohol issues which have contributed to some of the matters in her record are explained against that background.”

He argued her past offending was dated and not serious enough to warrant revocation of her bail.

Judge Deuter permitted Cruise to remain on bail to face sentencing submissions on a date to be set.

Cruise did not comment outside court.