Warwick mum Amber Louise May Lambert pleads guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm

A young Warwick mum had all the excuses for how her Christmas night antics landed her in court, but the magistrate didn’t buy it.

Warwick Police Station Photographer Philip Norrish NO BY LINE

A young Warwick mum has ended up in court after she says she was provoked into a fight, however the magistrate didn’t buy into it.

Amber Louise May Lambert, 21, claimed she was “called out” for a fight three hours prior to assaulting a woman at a Warwick address.

“These are just things you say to make it look better for yourself” magistrate Virginia Sturgess told her.

Warwick Magistrates Court was told about 10pm on Christmas Day, 2023, Lambert and five others arrived at a social event at a Warwick address, which quickly escalated.

Lambert and her group began immediately making “upsetting and derogatory” comments towards others present at the party.

Within five minutes of arriving Lambert began yelling at the victim, telling her to “come out the front and fight,” before throwing a half-full rum premix drink at her chest.

The court was told Lambert grabbed the woman by the hair and pulled her to the ground before laying into her with punches.

Amber Louise May Lambert appeared in Warwick Magistrates Court after a woman was attacked at a party on Christmas night

Even when other party goers tried to remove Lambert from assaulting the victim, she attempted to get around them to continue the attack on her, the court heard.

Eventually after the scuffle, Lambert and her friends left the party, while yelling abuse up and down the street calling people out to fight, until the police arrived at the scene.

The court was told the victim suffered a lump on the back of her head and scratches on her chest.

Defence lawyer Hamish Chapman said his client’s offending was due to an “odd set of circumstances”.

Mr Chapman noted the woman had no prior history, and said the offending was “out of character”.

“It was fuelled by alcohol, but there is no suggestions of drug or domestic violence being involved,” Mr Chapman said.

Lambert appeared in Warwick Magistrates Court on March 11, 2024, where she pleaded guilty to one charge of assault occasioning bodily harm while in company.

The magistrate told Lambert her excuses weren’t up to scratch.

“These are just things you say to make it look better for yourself when really you engaged in an unprovoked, unjustified assault on another person,” Ms Sturgess said.

“No way at all is that version of events is there any justification or excuse for you to launch an attack on a person who is just simply enjoying a social Christmas night.

“It’s really unacceptable going around assaulting other people especially in circumstances like this, there’s simply no excuse for it, being drunk isn’t an excuse.

“I really don’t know why it’s a fun activity to go out on Christmas night and pick a fight and assault someone clearly who didn’t want to have a fight with you.”

Lambert was sentenced to a 12 month probation order. No conviction was recorded.