Jessica Clark: Mum of two sentenced after love triangle brawl

A Taroom mother of two has pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including possessing a firearm, following a nasty love triangle brawl.

Clark engaged in an altercation with a woman she had supposedly never met, which defence solicitor Mr Wilson speculated was due to "jealousy". Picture: Alex Treacy

A mother of two with no criminal history has been charged after waving a firearm at a man, with police finding a machete, methamphetamine and an ice pipe in her possession.

Taroom woman Jessica Clark, 41, pleaded guilty to possessing drugs and utensils, drink driving, and dangerous conduct with a weapon in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Friday, with all the offences occurring at an Aratula address on March 20.

The court heard Clark had spent the day shooting with her ex-husband, later travelling to a property where a man she was allegedly speaking to via social media but had never met in person resided.

Clark, who had been drinking, was approached by the man and a female she also claimed never to have met upon arrival.

The two women began, “throwing punches”, at each other and pulling each other’s hair, leaving Clark with “significant” injuries, the court heard.

The altercation was thought to have been triggered by jealousy, with defence solicitor Mr Wilson telling the court he could only assume the woman who approached Clark had seen messages between her and the man.

The man, described as “significant” at 6 foot 4 and 150kg, stepped towards Clark.

The 41-year-old woman, originally from Mundubbera, pleaded guilty to four charges including dangerous conduct with a weapon. Picture: Alex Treacy

The court was told she felt threatened and pulled a Winchester lever-action 30-30 rifle from her car, waving it at the man.

“She was holding the firearm while standing approx. 1.5m from (the man),” police prosecutor Mr Tsoi said.

“She then actioned the lever on the firearm which ejected a .223 round of ammunition from the chamber.”

The weapon was not discharged and could not have been fired, the court heard.

The man pulled the rifle from Clark and “dragged” her across the ground.

She returned to her car and drove across the road, where police found her with alcohol in her system.

The court was told police found methamphetamine, an ice pipe, a machete, and 18 rounds of .223 ammunition in Clark’s car.

Magistrate Damian Carroll described the events as occurring under the “most unusual circumstances”, considering Clark’s claims she had not met either of the Aratula pair beforehand.

“I accept that you didn’t go to the house intending to use the weapon,” Mr Carroll told the court.

“I accept that the projectile in the weapon could not have been fired by the weapon.”

Also taking into account Clark’s early guilty plea and absence of criminal history, Magistrate Carroll sentenced her to 80 hours of community service and disqualified her from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for one month.

No convictions were recorded.