Geelong woman Stephanie Morris’ violent and bloody year of assaults

A Geelong woman jumped from a brutal knife attack to a bizarre assault on a stranger during a shocking year of violence.

Stephanie Morris swung a kitchen knife at a man, landing a cut to his wrist and face. Picture: Facebook.

A drunk Geelong woman swung a kitchen knife at a man and landed a nasty cut to his face in the middle of her violent year of offending.

The man had to duck out of the way to avoid Stephanie Morris’ attacks but walked away with a cut to his right wrist and a deep laceration above his lip during the bloody altercation in his kitchen.

Morris, aged 31 and of no fixed address but with links to Whittington, escalated a verbal argument that police said started “for no reason” when she followed the man through his house and grabbed the kitchen knife.

Morris pleaded guilty to recklessly cause injury and making threats to kill in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Thursday.

In February 2020, just five months before the incident with the knife, Morris was in line at a BP service station in North Geelong when she pushed a stranger in the back twice and sparked a physical fight.

The court heard Morris was frustrated with the other woman who had been dealing with a payment issue at the counter.

When the woman turned around and told Morris not to touch her, Morris punched her to the face with a closed fist.

Stephanie Morris assaulted a stranger in line at a BP petrol station. Picture: Facebook.

A physical fight broke out and Morris pushed the woman to the floor and later wrestled her into the carpark.

The woman broke free and fled in her car.

Morris was found by police walking along the Bellarine Hwy and was acting “highly erratic and substance affected”, the court heard.

In November the same year, Morris was having a verbal argument with her mother at a Whittington home when she threatened to burn down the home and get her father to “shoot her and to kill her”.

Morris also told her mother she was going to get people “to come and burn the house down” during the argument, and later called her multiple offensive names and “an alcoholic”.

Morris’ defence lawyer, Elli Dawe, said she “grew up in the context of a dysfunctional and highly volatile childhood”.

Ms Dawe said Morris was moved between Geelong and Shepparton, so had little education and “significant periods” of homelessness.

“She was introduced to substances, mostly cannabis and alcohol, by her father at age eight and struggles to this day,” Ms Dawe added.

Magistrate Simon Guthrie said jail was “certainly a factor”.

Referring to her dysfunctional upbringing, Mr Guthrie said Morris should “begin to imagine” the trauma she caused her victims.

“This is serious offending,” Mr Guthrie said.

Morris was placed on an 18 month community corrections order and was ordered to return to the court for judicial monitoring.

Originally published as Geelong woman Stephanie Morris’ violent and bloody year of assaults