Mengli Jiang, Jing Liu: Brookvale brawling coronavirus mums sentenced for violent street fight
It started with comments in a mother’s online chatroom about COVID-19 before it turned into a vicious street brawl and ended up in Manly Local Court. Now two northern beaches women have been sentenced.
Manly
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Two northern beaches’ mums got into a violent street fight with hair pulling, slapping and kicking after they disagreed about coronavirus isolation on a Chinese internet chat group, Manly Local Court has heard.
But even though both mothers ended up in hospital after the brawl — one had to have a CAT scan after her head smacked against the road — they were let off with a warning on Thursday.
Mengli Jiang, 33, from Brookvale and 36-year-old Jing Liu, from Dee Why, who were sentenced today, both pleaded guilty to one count each of common assault.
The court heard the pair got into an internet argument while posting comments to each other on a WeChat mothers group chatroom about their personal opinions on the coronavirus pandemic.
In a facts sheet tendered to court police said Liu wrote in the chatroom that she did not want “any more fighting” and suggested she and Jiang meet to discuss their differences.
But at 8.10pm on January 28, outside Jiang’s home in Consul Rd North, the disagreement degenerated into physical violence.
Even though two other mums tried to separate the brawlers after Liu slapped Jiang across the face, they continued to push each other and continually slapped, hit and kicked out at each other. They also grabbed each other’s hair before they both crashed to the bitumen.
Both women sustained a number of scratches and bruises.
Liu suffered a gash to the forehead and a cut under an eye. She had a CAT scan and had to stay in hospital for two days.
Jiang had multiple abrasions on her limbs and had to have her shoulder X-rayed.
Both women sustained a number of scratches and bruises.
Liu suffered a gash to the forehead and a cut under an eye. She had a CAT scan and had to stay in hospital for two days.
Jiang had multiple abrasions on her limbs and had to have her shoulder X-rayed.
Both woman were originally charged with affray, but that charged was withdrawn.
Liu’s barrister Evan James conceded that the discussion in the chatroom “degenerated to an unacceptable level”, but put it down to community fears and concerns about COVID-19.
Mr James said what he described as a “scrap” was not planned or premeditated.
“Neither party anticipated things would kick-off.
“It was never intended to degenerate into what it did. It was an anxious period.
“That is not to say the behaviour was acceptable, but understandable.”
Mr James said both woman had suffered the embarrassment of having the street fight reported around the world.
Magistrate Scott Nash told the women that they should not have resorted to violence to resolve their differences.
“When you engage in physical violence there are consequences,” Mr Nash said.
“You both had control over this incident.”
Mr Nash said he accepted that the fight was not premeditated but suggested that both woman regretted the incident and would have been embarrassed to end up in court.
He did not convict the women but ordered that they be of good behaviour for two years.