Suspended prison sentence for young woman’s garden fork attack on Kingston homeowner

A Hobart woman who pleaded guilty to assault after attacking a 53-year-old Kingston resident outside her own home armed with a garden fork has avoided being sent to prison.

Hayley Renee Riley, 24, appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmanian on Monday to be sentenced for an act of violence committed two years ago which left her victim in Royal Hobart Hospital with a temple injury that required stitches. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Hobart woman who pleaded guilty to assault after attacking a 53-year-old Kingston resident with a garden fork outside her own home has avoided being sent to prison.

Hayley Renee Riley, 24, appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmanian on Monday to be sentenced for an act of violence committed two years ago which left her victim in Royal Hobart Hospital with a temple injury that required stitches.

Justice Kate Cuthbertson said Riley, who also pleaded guilty to resisting police, had been in an ongoing dispute with the complainant’s daughter when she and a group of friends approached their family home on the night of August 19, 2023.

After banging on a window and making threats to “bash” the younger woman, Riley then initiated a physical confrontation when her intended target’s mother answered the front door.

The court heard that the then-22-year-old defendant charged at the homeowner with the garden tool, before striking her to the head.

With the complainant lying on the ground in the foetal position, other members of Riley’s party began repeatedly kicking her about the body, Justice Cuthbertson said.

After being arrested by attending police officers following a struggle in which she was taken to the ground, Riley defended her actions saying “the c… threw a hammer at me so I punched her”.

In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, the 53-year-old woman said she suffered permanent scarring as a result of the assault, no longer felt safe in the community, and feared being in situations involving large groups of young people.

Justice Cuthbertson said although Riley had no relevant prior convictions involving violence and had been using alcohol to excess at the time of the assault as a response to experiencing domestic violence, her guilty pleas had come at a late stage.

“Your conduct on the night was outrageous,” Her Honour told the defendant.

“Hitting someone in the face with an object … is fraught with danger, and a sentence of imprisonment is warranted.”

Justice Cuthbertson sentenced Riley to a wholly suspended term of three months’ jail, and ordered she perform 50 hours of community service.

Originally published as Suspended prison sentence for young woman’s garden fork attack on Kingston homeowner