Logan mum squirts breast milk on cell door in front of police
A mother of six traumatised by war in her homeland bit the finger of a police officer after she was arrested over a disturbance at a property. But what she did in the police cell that was “totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated”, a court has heard.
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A refugee bit a policeman’s finger and sprayed her own breast milk on a Logan police station cell door because she was afraid for her children, her barrister has told a court.
Vicky Asienjo, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts of serious assault on police officers after she was arrested at Slacks Creek on July 13.
Prosecutor Sam Bishop said police attended a disturbance at Asienjo’s unit and tried to stop police talking to a child at the scene.
As the senior constable was calling for assistance she leaned over and bit his finger, leaving bite marks and bruising, Mr Bishop said.
After she was taken to a cell at Logan Central police station, the intoxicated mother of six exposed one of her breasts and sprayed milk on the cell door, he said.
“This case calls for general deterrence and community denunciation,’’ Mr Bishop said.
“It’s simply unacceptable and should not be tolerated.’’
But Asienjo’s barrister, Debra Wardle, told Beenleigh District Court that her client had witnessed atrocities during the long civil war in her Sudanese homeland and as a consequence was very protective of her six children.
When she was taken to the police station she was so upset she stuffed a blanket down the toilet in her cell, causing it to overflow, and called out to police “I need to feed my babies’’.
Asienjo had spent a decade in a refugee camp in Uganda before coming to Australia 11 years ago.
Her husband died a year later, leaving her the sole carer for her large family.
Ms Wardle said Asienjo rarely drank, avoided trouble and had no criminal history.
But she became agitated when an acquaintance turned up at her unit and began causing a disturbance loud enough for neighbours to call police.
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Justice Ian Dearden said he took into account Asienjo’s lack of criminal history, her early plea and references from family and friends.
“This is a serious and unacceptable way to deal with a police officer,’’ he said.
“If the police officer had bitten you, you would be very angry and of course you would be entitled to be angry because it’s not an acceptable way to deal with another human being.
“You behaved badly in the police cell. I know that you were upset and that you were anxious about your children, but what you did made the police offers’ jobs much more difficult.’’
Mr Dearden sentenced Asienjo to nine months’ prison, fully suspended for 18 months.
