Samantha Kitanovska of South Morang assaults police and other women
A policewoman assaulted by a female with a history of violence suffered an injury so severe she has been referred to a plastic surgeon. But her South Morang attacker is back on the streets.
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A police officer had to be taken to hospital after being assaulted by a woman who had barricaded herself in her South Morang home.
The constable has been referred to a plastic surgeon and is restricted in movement since her hand was wrenched by Samantha Kitanovska last week, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court has heard.
Kitanovska pleaded guilty to the assault and to two other violent assaults on Wednesday, July 15.
The court heard the 30-year-old became extremely agitated when police went to arrest her after 7am on July 9 for a matter which cannot be published.
Senior Constable Jean-Philippe Britt said while police called for backup Kitanovska locked the front door, barricading it with a table.
Police got her out to the driveway, where she resisted and was put on the ground to be handcuffed.
While police were struggling to hold her down she grabbed the constable’s left hand.
Police repeatedly screamed for her to let go, before she wrenched the constable’s fingers.
Paramedics tended to the injured officer before she was taken to Austin Hospital.
The court heard she suffered strained ligaments and is restricted in her movement for at least two weeks.
Kitanovska also left a 54-year-old woman needing treatment at hospital after attacking her in her home on Boxing Day 2018.
The court heard she argued with the woman before she had to be pulled off the woman by another man.
Senior Constable Britt said Kitanovska’s partner then put the woman in a chokehold on the couch while sitting on top of her, saying, “Come on Sammy, you can give her a hiding now”.
Kitanovska then punched the woman in the upper body repeatedly and bit her on the back.
Kitanovska assaulted another woman on October 13, 2018 after she drove into the back of a car being driven by the woman’s boyfriend on Banksia St, Heidelberg.
When the drivers stopped, Kitanovska’s boyfriend yelled at the other driver, who requested her licence then called police, noticing her licence was expired and believing she was drunk.
Kitanovska’s boyfriend grabbed him in a chokehold and took him to the ground, hitting a rock wall, while Kitanovska grabbed his arm and pushed his girlfriend into the rock wall when she tried to help.
The pair fled the scene.
Kitanovska was also arrested at an Ascot Vale on June 11 after police were called to a man and woman shouting and found her heavily-drug affected and in possession of nine white pills., needles and 1.5g of meth.
Heroin was found in her bra at the police station.
Her lawyer, Emily Metcalfe, said she had been using drugs from a young age and had dealt with periods of homelessness.
Pointing out Kitanovska’s limited criminal history, Ms Metcalfe pushed for Kitanovska to be placed on a community corrections order.
Senior Constable Brit argued a jail term was needed for the serious matter of assaulting police.
But on July 16 Magistrate Michael McNamara released Kitanovska, who had been in custody for eight days, on a 12-month corrections order.
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