Tarsha Alex Chatwin sentenced for dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm

A woman abandoned her wounded partner at the side of a road after crashing her car into him – but told an Ipswich court it was an “accident”.

Tarsha Alex Chatwin was sentenced in Ipswich District Court for dangerous operation causing grievous bodily harm. Picture: Facebook/Tarsha Chatwin

A Gold Coast beautician crashed into a man she had a “toxic” relationship with, but the couple maintains it was “all a terrible accident”, a court has heard.

Tarsha Alex Chatwin, 27, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on December 13, 2022, to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm and leaving the scene without obtaining help (domestic violence), along with driving without a licence due to a demerit point suspension.

The court heard Chatwin’s partner asked her to deliver petrol for his moped when he was stranded on a roadside on September 21, 2021.

Chatwin picked him up, despite her licence being suspended at the time, but the two had an argument.

In Augustine Heights, the partner got out of the vehicle while they continued arguing and walked across two lanes of traffic towards the side of the road.

Crown prosecutor Jacqueline Malouf said Chatwin deliberately drove towards her partner and ultimately crashed into him, knocking him over.

Other cars pulled over to offer assistance but Chatwin drove away, leaving him in the gutter of the road.

At sentencing, Chatwin was noticeably tearing up as she watched dashcam footage of the collision played in court.

Ms Malouf said Chatwin later called her partner, telling him: “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to run into you”.

She also provided an address to the police so they could collect her.

Her partner sustained an open fracture to his right leg, which required surgery, and would have resulted in a loss of function in the lower leg if it hadn’t been treated.

Ms Malouf noted Chatwin’s criminal history primarily consisted of drug and breach offending, but included a 2015 conviction for dangerously operating a vehicle – in which she had almost collided with oncoming traffic while being chased by police.

Defence barrister Gavin Webber said the couple shared a child, were still in a relationship, and noted Chatwin’s partner had attended court to support her.

He said Chatwin agreed she had driven towards her partner – supposedly so he could get back into the car – and maintained “very firmly that it was never her intention to strike him down”.

Mr Webber noted their relationship was “punctuated by drug use” and “toxic” at the time and said there had been “controlling behaviour” on her partner’s side.

He said “emotions would have been extremely heightened” on the day, as it was a “particularly tumultuous and volatile time”.

Mr Webber said Chatwin’s offending was a “catalyst for her to turn her life back around” as she had stopped using drugs and had relocated to Townsville since being released from custody – having served approximately four and a half months on remand.

Judge Dennis Lynch noted the partner’s victim impact statement suggested it was “all a terrible accident”, but said he didn’t accept that was “entirely correct”.

“Any decent person would have remained at the scene to look out for the state of the injured person,” he said.

He addressed Chatwin directly, saying: “In any event it seems that whatever problems were in your relationship previously have been repaired.”

“You have made commendable efforts to improve your circumstances and it seems to me it would be counter-productive at this point to require you return to custody.”

Chatwin was ultimately sentenced to two and a half years in jail, immediately suspended for a three-year operational period.

She was disqualified from driving for two years for the dangerous operation charge and for six months for driving without a licence.

Her 140 days in presentence custody were declared time served and convictions were recorded.