Woman faces court for drunken knife incident

Police found a 31-year-old woman ranting incoherently while brandishing a 30cm knife on a street in Grafton last year, a court has heard

A South Grafton woman has faced court for a number of serious offences.

A South Grafton woman has faced court over a disturbing series of offences, including spitting at a bottle shop worker after being refused service and waving a 30cm knife around while drunkenly rambling through a residential Grafton street.

Zoie Tanina-Louise Boers appeared in Grafton Local Court on Monday where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to common assault, custody of a knife in a public place and driving with middle range PCA.

The court heard the 31-year-old drove into the drive-through bottleshop of the Australian Hotel in South Grafton on the evening of April 25 last year.

Court documents described Boers staggering through the shop and bumping into shelves as she got a cask of wine, then “cackling madly” as she tossed the wine and a $20 onto the store’s counter.

The court heard the staff member, believing Boers to be intoxicated, refused to serve the woman. Court documents state Boers then began to abuse the staff member before spitting over the counter towards him as she left the store.

Boers then got in her vehicle and accelerated harshly out of the drive in and at speed up Through St. The staff member contacted police.

Court documents reveal that about 7.10pm Boers arrived at Course St in Grafton, then drove to the intersection of Hoof St and got out of the car. She then took a large 30cm bread knife and began ranting incoherently in the street, waving the knife around and arguing with people in a nearby house.

The court heard police were contacted and arrived at the scene to see Boers with the knife in her hand, waving it around. After spotting the police Boers ditched the knife but still continued to ramble and scream abuse at people in the area.

Boers was breath tested and returned a positive reading of 0.157, and a search of her car revealed a number of empty Bundaberg Rum cans and a mostly consumed sack of cask wine. Boers was placed under arrest and taken to Grafton Police Station where she was charged.

In court on Monday magistrate Kathy Crittenden convicted Boers and sentenced her to a community correction order for a period of 12 months to commence on February 1, 2021, subject to complying with Community Corrections directions regarding ongoing alcohol and drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment, as well as completing a Traffic Offenders program. The court also disqualified Boers from holding a driver‘s/rider’s licence for 12 months.

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