Rachael Louise Casson: Capalaba woman shocks commuters with disgusting act at train station
“Very worrying”: A recovered alcoholic has jumped from the frying pan into the fire after becoming addicted to ice, sparking a grotesque assault on an innocent teen.
Logan
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A court has heard a teen assaulted in a bizarre and disgusting fashion by an ice-affected former nurse will be paid $500 compensation for the “very worrying” incident.
Rachael Louise Casson, 34, said little at her Cleveland Magistrates Court appearance on Thursday (November 11).
The Capalaba woman pleaded guilty to common assault, two counts of possessing drug utensils, possessing dangerous drugs and wilful damage.
The court heard Casson had just been kicked out of her mother’s home when she went to Birkdale train station early on May 19.
Casson, who was affected by ice at the time, was seen touching a 15-year-old boy’s mate and making nonsensical comments before she approached a school student.
The court heard Casson asked the teen why he was recording her.
When he replied that he was actually listening to something on his headphones, Casson grabbed them and threw them on the train tracks.
According to police, the teen retrieved his damaged property and moved away.
But Casson followed him, licked the palm of her hand and slapped the boy in the face before threatening to throw him in front of a train.
The disgusting incident was witnessed by other commuters and captured on CCTV, a police prosecutor said.
Police later found an ice pipe secreted in her bra.
Casson was taken at Redland Hospital where another, used ice pipe and a small quantity of meth ere found among her property five days later.
In November last year she was sentenced to a two-month suspended prison sentence with 18 months’ probation for a high-range drink drive offence.
Her lawyer, Tanya Lacy, said Casson had been struggling with the effect of smoking ice three or four days before she assaulted the teen.
Ms Lacy told the court Casson was booted from her mother’s property when her drug utensils were discovered and had wandered to the train station.
Ms Lacy said Casson had a traumatic upbringing but qualified as a nurse until 2017.
From 2013 to 2019 she had been an alcoholic, recovered, but then met people who introduced her to ice.
She submitted it would be unjust to activate Casson’s suspended jail sentence given the “very different offending”.
Magistrate Deborah Vasta reflected acknowledged Casson’s wish to reconnect with her children.
“I see lives day-in-day-out ruined, absolutely destroyed by ice,” Ms Vasta said.
“One in three kids in Child Safety are there just because of ice.
“What happened to that 15-year-old at that train station, at that time of day, would have been very worrying.
“Your behaviour was just so bizarre.”
She sentenced Casson to two years’ probation and extended her two-month suspended jail sentence to six months.
For her assault on the teen, she was ordered to pay $500 in restitution and was convicted on all charges.
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Originally published as Rachael Louise Casson: Capalaba woman shocks commuters with disgusting act at train station
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