Shooting survivor Kaera Douglas in court over theft
She survived being shot in the stomach by her Hells Angel boyfriend. Now a former stripper, who was at the centre of a 2007 daylight shooting in Melbourne’s CBD, has landed in court.
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A former stripper at the centre of one of Melbourne’s most shocking gun crimes has landed herself in court over a $98 theft.
But Kaera Douglas, 36, who survived being shot in the stomach by her Hells Angel boyfriend 12 years ago, told a court she was getting her life back on track after her painful past.
Ms Douglas lost a kidney and spent three days in a coma after bikie Christopher Hudson went on a drug fuelled shooting spree through the heart of the CBD on June 18, 2007.
Hero father-of-three Brendan Keilar was shot dead when he ran to Ms Douglas’s aid as Hudson pulled her by the hair towards a taxi on Williams St.
Hudson also critically wounded another good Samaritan, Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard, during the horrifying rampage.
Hudson is serving a minimum 35 year jail term for the crime.
Today, Ms Douglas told Magistrate Simon Guthrie that sharing her story with other victims of violence had helped guide her.
Ms Douglas appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after admitting to stealing $98 worth of products from a postage bag in July 2017.
The court heard she committed the theft around the same time she appeared on a 60 Minutes episode marking the 10th anniversary of the horrific crime.
“You’ve had a tough time Ms Douglas,” Mr Guthrie said.
“(The offending) occurred at a time when you were not in a good place,” he said, adding the TV show would have been a stressful time for her.
Ms Douglas was granted a diversion and required to donate $200 to the White Ribbon foundation, who she volunteers with regularly.
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Ms Douglas said she spoke at events about her own experience with violence in the hopes of educating both men and women and “wanted to do more”.
“I really enjoy doing it, it’s been therapeutic,” she said.
The court also heard she was working on a book, detailing her terrifying near death experience.
Magistrate Guthrie noted Ms Douglas was remorseful and said the diversion was an opportunity for her to learn from her mistake and move on.