'Get out or I'll throw you down the f---ing stairs'

A DISGRACED Ballina businesswoman has pleaded guilty to intimidating a former staff member.

Belinda Catherine Nott outside Ballina Local Court. Picture: The Northern Star

A DISGRACED Ballina businesswoman who threatened to throw a former staff member down a staircase has pleaded guilty to intimidation.

Belinda Nott, 40, was not required to be present when her case went before Ballina Local Court on Thursday.

The former Ballina Manor owner, based in Tucki Tucki, was charged in February over the intimidation of an employee of the historic hotel.

According to court documents, Ms Nott arrived at the hotel on the afternoon of November 29 last year to find the new owner-to-be rearranging some objects in the building for a promotional photo shoot.

During the dispute that followed, Nott threatened to call the police before telling staff member Tracey Johnson: "get out or I'll throw you down the f***ing stairs", court documents said.

Ballina Manor was in the hands of administrators Cor Cordis at the time and was in the process of being bought by new owner, Rebekah Drummond, although the contracts had not yet been exchanged at that time.

Solicitor Vince Boss, who represented Nott in court, said he'd been instructed to indicate a plea of guilty to the charge of intimidation.

According to court documents, his client had previously pleaded not guilty.

Mr Boss acknowledged there would be bonds which would be required to be called up upon Nott's sentencing.

"When your honour looks at the bonds... the bonds would be quite serious matters," Mr Boss told Magistrate Karen Stafford.

He asked Magistrate Stafford whether she would consider ordering a sentencing assessment report, and she agreed to this.

On the day of the incident, the administrators had given Ms Drummond permission to attend the Norton St hotel with a photographer and marketing manager for the purpose of taking promotional photographs.

Ms Johnson had been working at the hotel for about three years at the time and was present.

For the photo shoot, the group had rearranged some items within rooms at the premises and when Nott arrived at the hotel about 1.30pm, she became "upset and angry" about what was occurring, court documents said.

She began "yelling and swearing" at Ms Drummond about moving items, specifically about "placing rose petals on a bed cover in one of the rooms".

Efforts to calm Nott were not successful and as the group worked to replace the moved items, the dispute spiralled until Nott told Ms Johnson to leave, despite no longer being her employer.

She then threatened to throw her down the nearby staircase, court documents said.

At the time of the incident, Nott was serving two suspended sentences for fraud, imposed before Lismore Local Court on November 23, 2017.

Those bonds will be recalled when the matter proceeds to sentencing on June 20.

Nott was a Lismore City Council candidate in 2012 and is the daughter of former Lismore mayor Jeff Champion.