Sandy Creek ‘sovereign citizen’ Solange Goodes refuses to appear in court, arrest warrant issued

A woman charged over a two-hour police standoff is refusing to attend court, instead sending a bizarre message of defiance via YouTube. Now a judge has decided what happens next.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a “sovereign citizen” who allegedly sparked a two-hour police standoff after a court received an email saying she is “under no obligation” to answer the charges against her.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Solange Ellen Goodes told the Adelaide Magistrates Court they could no longer represent the Sandy Creek woman and were “embarrassed” by the situation.

Defence barrister Martin Anders asked the state’s chief magistrate, Judge Mary-Louise Hribal, to allow both himself and his instructing solicitor to withdraw from the case.

“The correspondence was sent to the court unilaterally, without the knowledge or approval of my instructor, which gives rise to our embarrassment,” he said.

“It expresses her reticence or reluctance to attend this court and answer her bail, but also suggests compliance with that bail and no further alleged offending.”

One of the signs outside of the Sandy Creek property, declaring it to be private sovereign property. Picture: Jason Katsaras

Mr Anders suggested the court postpone issuing any warrant for 24 hours but police prosecutors said Ms Goodes’ “defiance” should not be overlooked.

Judge Hribal agreed.

“This is not just a non-appearance, it expresses that she does not see herself under any obligation to appear in court,” she said.

“Given what appears to be, on the face of it, a clear statement of her intention not to appear, I don’t see why a warrant should lie until tomorrow.”

The email was received by the court on Tuesday morning – two days after Ms Goodes read it aloud, on YouTube, as a “public notice to the Adelaide Magistrates Court”.

In the five-minute video, she says she is a “whistleblower” against “the death cult and the debt slave system”, and was “attacked” at her “peaceful family home by a militarised SAPOL operation”.

She claims she and her partner, Toby Graham Lockyer, are “severely traumatised” and “do not have any faith in the justice system”, saying it has “no jurisdiction” over them.

“As such we are under no obligation to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, and we both choose not to do so for our own peace and protection as a matter of conscience and good faith,” she says.

“We ask that this court … leave us in peace now and in perpetuity.”

Signage outside the Sandy Creek property. Picture: Jason Katsaras.

She then tells the camera “that’s it, we’re not going … they’ve taken up enough of our life”.

“We just want to be free to get on with living our life in peace, lawfully, according to the real law of the land here,” she says.

Ms Goodes also criticises the “cult-distorted information” that is “pushed out” through the media that “painted us to be crazy people”.

That has, she said, led to a friend jokingly dubbing Mr Lockyer “the charismatic cult leader” – she insists their beliefs are about personal responsibility and “being good humans”.

Authorities are, she claims, trying “to kill us, silence us” or cause so much stress “we can barely function”.

“It’s really evil, and we don’t want any part of that at all anymore,” she says.

Ms Goodes, 42, and Mr Lockyer, 41, were arrested at their Sandy Creek property in September.

Prosecutors allege a routine weapons check, by SA Police, escalated into a “high risk”, two-hour stand-off requiring STAR Group attendance

She was subsequently charged with five aggravated counts of threatening to cause harm to police, plus counts of hinder or resist police officer and assault police.

Supporters of Toby Lockyer and Solange Goodes outside court. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

Ms Goodes also missed her first court appearance, with staff saying she had “created a situation” that would put them “in danger” if they tried to bring her into court.

Last month, the court heard the charges against Ms Goodes were likely to be downgraded following the viewing of video evidence.

On Tuesday, Mr Anders said he was prepared to speak with Ms Goodes – even after stepping down from the case – to encourage her to attend court on Wednesday.

He said Mr Lockyer was scheduled to appear Wednesday, and Ms Goodes could join him.

Judge Hribal, however, said the e-mail claimed to have been “written on behalf of them both”.

“It indicates she has no intention of attending court, that’s the shorthand of it,” she said.

She issued the warrant and excluded police bail, meaning Ms Goodes will have to appear before a magistrate before any form of release can be considered.