Tammie Peters: Pandemic spitter escapes jail after racial tirade at Darling Harbour
A woman who spat at another woman during a racially fuelled tirade at Darling Harbour during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has escaped jail time.
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A woman who spat, and threw a glass coffee cup at a Sydney woman in a violent, racially motivated attack has escaped jail time.
Tammie Peters, 43, faced Wollongong Local Court for sentencing on Friday after launching a verbal and physical attack on a 60-year-old woman at Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park, telling her to “f***k off’ and “go back to where you came from” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May.
The court heard the victim was exercising in the park with her husband when Peters started walking toward them and yelling.
She then threw a glass coffee cup at the woman, narrowly missing her. Fearing for her safety the woman and her husband tried to get away from Peters, however she raised her fists at them.
The court heard she then spat in the woman’s direction, with it landing on her shirt as she tried to dodge it.
The frightened pair continued to try and walk away but Peters followed, despite them asking her to stop.
The pair sought help from nearby police who approached Peters. The court heard she told police she spat at the couple because of her “beliefs” that “the city and the world are going under, over Asia”.
“Well what happened when I walked up to them, I said ‘ … why don’t you go off and f**k off home, with your language and go home, back to where you came from’,” court documents read.
She admitted she threw the coffee cup out of anger, however said spitting was “out of character” and that she’d never done anything like it before.
Peters was taken to Day Street Police Station where she was charged with intimidation, common assault and offensive behaviour.
She was granted bail in court later that day on May 7, however, had another violent and unprovoked outburst at Wollongong Hospital on June 17.
Court documents reveal Peters was taken to the emergency department following a suspected car crash.
She was taken into an x-ray room where a female radiographer proceeded to take images of her injured pelvic area.
Suddenly, Peters sat up and punched the woman in the face. She was arrested and charged with common assault.
The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges from each of the incidents and faced court for sentencing on Friday.
Her defence lawyer told the court that while there was no “discernible motive” for the attack in Darling Harbour, it was aggravated by the pandemic and the racial prejudice toward the victim.
He also noted that while she had no formal diagnosis she had reported hearing voices to her psychiatrist and was now taking medication.
In handing down her sentence Magistrate Jillian Kiely noted both incidents were unprovoked and that the spitting in particular was “of extreme concern” to the court due to the pandemic.
However, while of the view a jail sentence was appropriate, Magistrate Kiely said Peters’ said it would be best served in the community, by way of a 15-month intensive corrections order.
As part of the conditions, Peters’ was ordered to undertake drug and alcohol counselling and stay away from Tumbalong Park.