Rockhampton’s Sheanea Row Row jailed for dangerous operation, knife attacks

A young woman sitting in a car’s passenger seat in a suburban street was terrorised by a knife-wielding stranger in a brazen daylight attack that involved the vehicle being sideswiped and chased to a shopping centre.

Sheanea Row Row. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

A young woman sitting in a car’s passenger seat in a suburban street was terrorised by a knife-wielding stranger in a brazen daylight attack that involved the vehicle being sideswiped and chased to a shopping centre.

The attacker – a 23-year-old soon-to-be mother-of-two – had been self-medicating with methamphetamines and alcohol to numb the pain of grief from a miscarriage and family conflict, a court heard.

Sheanea Joanne Ruth Dawn Row Row sat sobbing throughout her sentencing proceedings in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on May 31, at times covering her face, for the knife attack on the passenger along with an assault on her own cousin on the Fitzroy Riverbank, stealing alcohol and perfume, contravening police direction and a raft of driving offences.

Police prosecutor Clancy Fox said the most serious of the offending Row Row carried out between October 19, 2023 and April 4, 2024, was the attack on the passenger.

He said it was a protracted incident which started when the victim, a 20-year-old female, was sitting outside a residential address on Ruff St, Norman Gardens, when a car pulled up beside her at 2.48pm on April 4, containing two male passengers and Row Row as the driver.

Mr Fox said after noticing Row Row was brandishing a “fire-engine red” handled 30cm long knife the victim had seen in Kmart, the victim locked all the doors of her car.

He said Row Row walked to the car and started stabbing at the passenger window with the knife.

“She was yelling at the time ‘I want to stab ya’,” Mr Fox said.

Sheanea Row Row. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

He said Row Row then attempted to unlock the passenger door using the tip of the knife blade in the key hole before stabbing at the door panel for one or two minutes.

Mr Fox said during this, the victim took note of Row Row’s physical features and sounded the car’s horn to draw attention to the incident in the street and stop Row Row.

He said people in the street and the victim’s sister, who had been inside a residence, came out, and Row Row returned to drive the vehicle she had been in.

The court heard Row Row reversed her vehicle then drove at the victim’s car, sideswiping the passenger door.

The victim’s sister jumped in the driver’s seat and drove off.

Row Row tailgated the victim and her sister who called emergency services and were advised to drive to Stockland Rockhampton for help.

Row Row was arrested and taken into custody a week later.

She had previously punched her cousin in the face, then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the ground, when they were with a large group of people on the board walk of the Fitzroy Riverbank on December 28.

People intervened and the cousin got back up but Row Row punched her again in the face, causing the cousin to fall to the ground again and others intervening.

Mr Fox said when the cousin got up the second time, Row Row escalated it by producing a knife, cutting the female cousin’s right leg, left arm and middle finger.

The cousin reported the incident to police but did not go to hospital for treatment.

Row Row and a co-offender stole $95.75 of alcohol from BWS Frenchville the day before the riverfront incident.

Defence lawyer Samantha Fernandez said her client was ashamed of her behaviour.

“She reported feeling frustrated in regards to the assault occasioning bodily harm against her cousin … she felt frustrated due to family conflict and personal grief and admitted that she reacted incorrectly stating ‘I just couldn’t handle it. It was too much’,” Ms Fernandez said.

She said Row Row is currently pregnant with a girl, due in August, and her mother was caring for her little boy while she was in prison.

The court heard Row Row had a miscarriage in June 2023 and started using meth and abusing alcohol afterwards.

Her father – Frederick Row Row – died while in Capricornia Correctional Centre in 2016 and her stepfather died in May 2024 with Row Row missing his funeral because she was incarcerated.

Ms Fernandez said this was Row Row’s first time in custody and she was committed to reuniting with her family.

Row Row pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing and two of disqualified driving, along with one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, threaten violence with intent to intimidate, wilful damage, fail to appear in court and contravene police direction to attend a police station and provide identifying particulars.

She was sentenced to 2.5 years prison with 50 days presentence custody declared as time already served and parole release set for October 10, 2024.

Row Row was also disqualified from driving for 4.5 years.