Natalie Chloe Castle jailed for six months after assault

The fracas began with thrown bottles and ended with an ‘enraged’ young mother punching and biting another woman. Here’s why it was considered serious enough for a jail sentence.

A young mother to a four-year-old child flew into a rage and bit another woman after she was hit in the face with a can of whipped cream.

Natalie Chloe Castle, 22, was at her mother’s house on December 23, 2021 when a bottle was thrown at a vehicle parked on the property.

Castle confronted a female and her boyfriend, one of whom she believed had thrown the bottle, yelling at them.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard the boyfriend hit Castle in the face with a can of whipped cream.

Defence solicitor Adam Harvey said at this point his client “became enraged”.

“After she got hit, things became blurry and her decision-making was instinctual,” he said.

The court heard Castle assaulted the man’s girlfriend, punching her a number of times and biting her on the back.

The court heard the victim suffered serious injuries, including cuts and bruises to her elbows, hands and arms, a bite on her back and bruising to her face.

The court heard Castle told the police she did not engage with the man because “he would have knocked me out”.

Following the assault, the court heard Castle walked to the victim’s address, where the boyfriend allegedly struck her in the leg with a small bat.

The court heard Castle then entered the yard of the property and smashed a number of glass louvres in retaliation.

Castle pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and wilful damage.

Police prosecutor Sheena Gravino recommended a wholly suspended three to six month jail sentence.

Mrs Hartigan said Castle’s reaction was “completely over the top” and biting was a serious aspect of the assault.

“You might have a disease you know of or do not know of and then you have communicated to that person and then they have that disease for the rest of their life,” she said.

“So biting, spitting, those sorts of things are considered very serious aspects of an assault.”

The court heard Castle takes care of her child on her own by working full-time as a cleaner and Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said this was to her “credit”.

“You have a young person in your care, aged four, and you work full-time as a cleaner, which is to your credit, with such a young child, you are his sole carer,” Mrs Hartigan said.

Mrs Hartigan sentenced Castle to six months in jail with immediate parole for the assault and one month for wilful damage, to be served concurrently.

Mrs Hartigan also ordered $2000 in restitution to be paid.

Convictions were recorded.