Domestic violence survivor and advocate Natalie Sands faces court over road rage attack

A respected domestic violence survivor turned advocate has faced court over a road rage incident on the Gold Coast in which the victim says she ran for her life. Read what happened.

Natalie Sands (pictured) lost her mum Antoinette and five-year-old son Orlando in a domestic violence incident in 2019.

A highly respected domestic violence survivor and advocate has faced court over a “dangerous” road rage attack on the Gold Coast in peak hour traffic.

Natalie Sands, appeared via phone for sentencing in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday where she pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle, going armed so as to cause fear and wilful damage.

The court was told that on Saturday May 4 the 31-year-old was involved in a disagreement with another driver on the M1 near Coomera.

Natalie Sands with her son Orlando, who died in the house fire.

At about 1.30pm the victim pulled over in the shoulder of the motorway to make a phone call when Sands deliberately rammed her car into the back of the stationary vehicle.

“The defendant (Sands) has then grabbed a tyre iron, smashed the victim’s window which allowed her (victim) no way to escape from that side of the vehicle,” police prosecutor Karen Friedrichs told the court.

“The victim was forced to escape from her vehicle through the passenger door and then had to run along the M1. She felt that was the only way she could appropriately escape.”

A passing motorist who witnessed the road rage attack pulled over on the motorway to rescue the victim as she continued to be pursued by Sands, who was armed with the weapon.

Part of the victim’s statement to police was read to the court.

“The accident and having to run for my life caused me extreme psychological distress,” the victim said.

“I’m struggling to stop thinking about it all.”

The prosecution acknowledged Sands’ background of domestic violence, in which she was doused in petrol and set alight by her father Richard at the family’s home in Tamworth, NSW in 2019. Her five-year-old son, Orlando, and mother Antoinette were both inside the property and couldn’t be saved when it was deliberately torched on October 17. Sands sustained burns to more than 75 per cent of her body.

In 2021 Richard Sands was found by a NSW Supreme Court judge to have suffered from a mental health impairment and a cognitive impairment which made him not criminally responsible for two counts of murder, and another count of attempted murder.

The scene of the fatal house fire on Bylong Rd, Tamworth in northern NSW. Picture: SKY

Police prosecutor Karen Friedrichs labelled the case, which continues to impact Sands’ life, as “very tragic”.

“However it doesn’t afford much excuse to the defendant to put other people’s lives at risk in the current situation,” Ms Friedrichs said.

“A reasonable person in a situation with a road accident on the M1 would try to stop and assist others and call police. Rather than grab a weapon and chase the other party on a busy highway.”

Sand’s solicitor Shelby Thompson told the court the 2019 fire was a “significant traumatic event” that her client is trying to recover from. She outlined that just prior to the road rage incident, Sands had received a call from a member of the public notifying her that her father, who was sentenced to custody under a forensic mental health order, had been seen in the community at a pub in NSW.

“My client (Sands) was then advised following his (father’s) release, that he had been released with supervision under that forensic order,” Ms Thompson said.

“Which had an extremely big impact on her, in terms of her recovery and her mental health.

“Also on her ability to cope following that trauma.”

Police and forensics crews at the scene in Tamworth. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Ms Thompson outlined the advocacy work, including high-profile media interviews, Sands has done to raise awareness and advocate for victims of domestic violence. The single mother was taking steps to continue her mental health care and had taken responsibility for her actions.

“She reacted in a way, in my respectful submission, that is out of character for her,” Ms Thompson said.

“Now she reflects back, and she did so in the moment, she is incredibly remorseful.

“She doesn’t offer any excuse for her behaviour, that is the reaction she had due to what she has been through.”

Sands’ early guilty plea was taken into account as a demonstration of her remorse. The court also considered the impact a mandatory license suspension would have on her with the responsibility of raising a child and living in a regional community with limited public transport.

She was handed a 12 month suspended sentence and was disqualified from driving for eight months.