Mother of juvenile car thief assaults police after they find her walking Gracemere streets at 4am

A drunk woman walking down a suburban street at 4am assaulted police, who had stopped to check on her welfare, because when she went to report her daughter being a juvenile car thief, police called her a “disconnected parent”.

A drunk woman walking down a suburban street at 4am assaulted police, who had stopped to check on her welfare, because when she went to report her daughter being a juvenile car thief, police called her a “disconnected parent”.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty on May 31 to one count of assaulting a police officer in public while intoxicated.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Sarah Rowe said police were patrolling Gracemere when they spotted the defendant walking along Conaghan Street at 4.05am on April 24.

She said they pulled over to check on her welfare and she yelled at them “I hate you all. Why aren’t you stopping all these kids stealing cars” and police exited the vehicle.

“The defendant threw her handbag on the police vehicle and continued yelling as she approached (a police officer),” Senior Constable Rowe said.

She said the police warned the defendant to calm down and talk about her problem, not yell.

Senior Constable Rowe said the defendant replied “I can yell at you’’ while she was about 30cm away from the officer’s face.

She said the defendant pushed the police officer in the chest, causing him to take a step backwards.

The defendant was arrested and taken to the watch-house.

Senior Constable Rowe said when questioned by police about why she assaulted the officer, the defendant replied: “because I have a f---ing 16 year old out stealing cars and you will not listen to me”.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said her client, in her 30s, was a single mum to two teens including a 16 year old daughter who had left home and was stealing cars.

She said her client had been working in the aged care industry until she started having problems with the daughter and had since changed jobs to one which had fewer hours.

Ms Legrady said the defendant had been into police stations to report her daughter’s criminal activity, only to be told she was “a disconnected parent”.

“She’s in a situation where she feels lost,” Ms Legrady said.

“It (offence) was at breaking point.”

She said the defendant was seeking help from a psychologist.

Ms Legrady said the defendant wrote a letter of apology to the victim officer and went to the station to give it to them, but the police wouldn’t accept it.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale said she understood the defendant’s frustration, stress and anger over the situation with her daughter, but the defendant could not take it out on police.

She placed the woman on a six-month probation order and complete 40 hours of community service, with no convictions recorded.