Rossielle Assaf pulls knife on Chifley neighbour Nicole O’Neill’s partner
Neighbours often don’t get on but it rarely comes to this.... What started with a little bit of landscape gardening, ended with a housewife brandishing a kitchen knife as her husband brawled with the next door neighbour.
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An eastern suburbs housewife whose husband got into a tussle with the neighbours over tree branches has pleaded guilty to brandishing the kitchen knife in a misguided attempt to end the brawl.
Rossielle Assaf, 52, and her husband Pierre were doing some landscaping at home on Anzac Parade, Chifley on March 17 when some wayward branches caused sparks to fly with their neighbour Nicole O’Neill.
Waverley Local Court heard Ms O’Neill’s partner and Mr Assaf got into a verbal argument which quickly turned physical over the pile of branches which had been placed on the nature strip outside the O’Neill residence.
The police facts state Ms O’Neill was unhappy with the location of the branches and so enlisted her partner and two adult children to help her toss them into the Assafs’ yard.
When Mr and Mrs Assaf and their 22-year-old daughter saw the neighbours doing this about 4pm, they went outside to confront them.
“The accused who became fearful of an ongoing attack by Ms O’Neill’s partner on her husband and daughter went back into her house where everyone else remained outside,” the police facts read.
“Less than a minute after going back into the house, the accused came back out with a large kitchen knife (that she had been using before the incident occurred) holding it in front of her, waving it around in front of herself and telling Ms O’Neill’s partner to back away.”
Ms O’Neill took photos of Mrs Assaf wielding the knife on her phone and Mrs Assaf was charged with custody of a knife in public.
Magistrate Ross Hudson summarised the police facts out loud prior to handing down his sentence.
“The neighbour is fairly young and fit and he takes it upon himself to engage in a fairly serious argument with the husband,” Magistrate Hudson said.
“Mrs Assaf escalates the situation by coming to the door with a knife and effectively saying, ‘get off my husband’.”
Magistrate Hudson noted Mrs Assaf’s immaculate criminal history and that she was known as a “courteous, loving mother” who is “embarrassed and remorseful” of her actions.
The court heard she was a stay at home mother to her three children, the youngest of who is eight and the eldest in university.
Magistrate Hudson also gave weight to the facts which stated the neighbours didn’t feel afraid when the knife was produced.
The police facts state Mrs Assaf held it behind her back when she was standing on the footpath and only held it in front of her when there was a fence between her and the neighbours.
“The persons involved did not feel fear,” Magistrate Hudson said.
“(They) realised their behaviour as adults appeared to be ridiculous over the cutting of some trees and placement of branches.”
Mrs Assaf was the one who called police at which point Ms O’Neill sent them the photos of her neighbour holding the knife.
Magistrate Hudson sentenced Mrs Assaf to a six month Conditional Release Order and did not record a conviction.
“I think you can now stand there and realise how quickly this can get out of hand,” Magistrate Hudson said.
“If this was so bad in terms of what was developing between neighbours, unfortunately this is one of those times you pick up the phone and call the police.”