Nowra: Kara Howarth jailed for driving offences committed before allegedly stabbing boyfriend

A young south coast woman will spend the next few months behind bars after admitting to a wild “spate of offending” weeks before allegedly stabbing her boyfriend.

Kara Howarth has been sentenced for a ‘spate of offending’. Picture: Facebook

A young south coast hospitality worker accused of stabbing her boyfriend has been sentenced to jail after a “spate of offending” in the lead up to the alleged attack.

Kara Howarth, 24, appeared in the Nowra Local Court on Tuesday via video link from the South Coast Correctional Centre, where she was placed after being refused bail for allegedly stabbing her 25-year-old boyfriend, Jarrod Harrington, on September 12.

The Nowra woman was sentenced for a number of offences she committed weeks before the alleged stabbing, including driving a car disqualified and stealing petrol from a service station.

Howarth also previously pleaded guilty to charges of destroy or damage property, dishonestly obtain financial advantage and two counts of driving while disqualified.

Magistrate Lisa Viney sentenced Howarth to eight months behind bars, five without parole, and fined her $1250, despite her lawyer Emma Harrison stating her client suffered from mental trauma.

Kara Howarth allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in Nowra. Picture: Facebook

Kara Howarth was sentenced in the Nowra Local Court. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“She is very young and this is her first experience in custody,” Ms Harrison said.

However, Ms Viney said the “spate of offending” was too serious.

“Almost the entirety of your record, other than the stabbing matter, is before the court today,” she said.

“You continue to demonstrate disobedience to the laws.”

The court heard Howarth was serving a court ordered community release order at the time of the offences, after being busted high range drink driving earlier this year.

Documents tendered to the court state Howarth was caught driving on July 7 despite having a disqualified licence, and was let off with a warning, before she was busted driving again two days later.

She was arrested and taken to the Nowra Police Station.

Further inquiries revealed Howarth had stolen more than $100 of fuel from the South Nowra EG Petrol Station in April.

Kara Howarth will return to the Nowra Local Court in December. Picture: Facebook

The police also discovered that around the same time, she drunkenly kicked in the door of someone known to her, causing more than $300 of damage.

She was charged with the litany of offences, before later being granted bail.

However, the court heard while she was on bail, Howarth allegedly stabbed her 25-year-old boyfriend.

According to NSW Police, emergency services were called to an address on Kinghorne St, Nowra, about 10pm on September 12, following reports of a stabbing.

Officers arrived to find Mr Harrington with stab wounds and he was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital in a stable condition with lacerations to an arm and a leg, as well as cuts to his head.

Howarth was later arrested following investigations, refused bail and charged with reckless wounding.

She has not entered a plea and the matter will return to court on December 17.

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