Elle Rachel Ward in court for assaulting police officer
The twin sister of a shooting victim who was left fighting for life earlier this year has faced court for inadvertently punching a police officer.
Police & Courts
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The twin sister of a man who was shot in the chest in Maryborough earlier this year has been sentenced for punching a police officer.
The court heard Elle Rachel Ward, 30, inadvertently punched the officer when she was trying to hit her partner had narrowly avoided jail time.
The mother of five pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm when she faced Maryborough District Court last week.
The court heard the incident happened about 1am on May 29, 2021, as Ward’s partner was placed in the back of a police vehicle after officers were called to a home in Maryborough.
Ward, who was very drunk, got into the back of the car and tried to punch her partner.
However, she inadvertently struck a police officer in the jaw instead, causing him to fall and hit his head on the kerb.
Ward was holding a cigarette lighter in her hand when she hit the officer, the court heard, although it was not suggested she deliberately used it to cause harm as the punch was not aimed at the officer.
The court heard the officer was seriously injured in the assault and had only been able to return to work gradually as his recovery continued.
It was not a “one-off aberration”, the court heard, as she had been obstructive with police before.
Ward had limited recollection of the events of that night, the court heard.
The incident was a “wake up call” as Ward was the mother of five children and her partner was in custody for drug-related offences, meaning she was their only carer, the court was told.
She had suffered an acquired brain injury when she was 15, the court heard, and had also struggled with the loss of both her parents.
Judge Michael Byrnes said Ward’s actions that night had caused the officer “a lot of harm”, telling her she had to “get off the grog”.
“Give the alcohol away,” he said.
“Clearly your offending happens when you’re drunk.
“People regularly go to jail for this.”
In August, Ward’s twin brother Joseph Ward was left fighting for life in hospital after he was shot in the chest on a Maryborough street.
A man and a woman have been charged in relation to that offence.
Ward was sentenced to nine months in prison with immediate release on parole.
She was also ordered to complete 60 hours community service.
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