‘Agitated’ Norlane woman Danielle Garrity attacked doctor after she was refused treatment

A Geelong woman who assaulted her doctor has been sentenced after alleging in court that he attacked her first.

A Norlane woman who assaulted her doctor has alleged in court that he attacked her first.

Danielle Garrity, 31, faced the Geelong Magistrates Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful assault and one count of contravening a community corrections order.

In August 2019, Garrity attended a medical clinic in Norlane and was accused of becoming “agitated” and aggressive when her doctor told her he was not able to help with a treatment request.

Danielle Garrity has faced court after assaulting her doctor. Source: Twitter.

Garrity grabbed his glasses off his head and threw them on the floor. The doctor told police he felt threatened at the time.

Defence lawyer Stephanie Mawby said Garrity had told police the doctor had assaulted her first by “pushing her into the sink within the clinic”, causing her “significant pains to her ribs”.

“I understand no formal complaint has been made but Garrity made it clear to police … about her desire to make a complaint about the extent of the assault against her,” Ms Mawby said.

Magistrate Franz Holzer said even the “mere suggestion” a doctor assaulted a patient could attract criminal and professional consequences and would be “extremely important to investigate”.

However, having heard the background of the offending, Mr Holzer said it is “most unlikely” the doctor had assaulted Garrity.

Given the time it took Garrity to be assessed for possible injuries, and the likelihood she was the only one being aggressive, Mr Holzer did not believe the doctor “would even engage in behaviour of the sort”.

In November 2021, Garrity was in a car with her sister when they began arguing, prompting the sister to pull over.

Garrity was accused of grabbing the woman by the hair and pulling it back twice and then punching her in the face with a clenched fist.

She later admitted to police “she shouldn’t have hit her”.

Mr Holzer considered placing Garrity on a community corrections order but was told she has poor compliance.

As Garrity is now the mother of two young children, Mr Holzer said it would be “setting her up to fail” by placing her on another order.

Instead, he convicted and fined Garrity $1000.

Originally published as ‘Agitated’ Norlane woman Danielle Garrity attacked doctor after she was refused treatment