Summa Jade Clarke sentenced in Townsville District Court for punching a man during a violent robbery

A 21-year-old woman born behind bars has escaped jail time after she violently assaulted a man during a night-time robbery. Read the details.

Summa Jade Clarke appeared in Townsville District Court on Tuesday for her involvement in a violent robbery where she punched a man in the back of the head.

A young woman punched a man in the back of the head and snatched the necklace from his neck during a violent night-time robbery.

Summa Jade Clarke appeared in Townsville District Court on Tuesday after she, and three others, robbed a man in Pimlico with one of her co-offenders threatening to find the man’s home and dig his grave.

Crown prosecutor Thomasina Papadimitriou said on the night of December 10, 2023, Clarke was in a stolen Mazda with four other unknown co-offenders when they spotted two people walking on Diprose street in Pimlico.

“(Clarke) had a scarf on her face, she and three co-offenders surrounded (the man) while they grabbed his necklace and felt his pockets,” she said.

Ms Papadimitriou said a 19-year-old Clarke punched the victim in the back of the head and stole his necklace, keys and $20 in cash before they hopped back into the stolen car and drove away.

“Later that morning (Clarke) fuelled the stolen Mazda at the Ampol in Pimlico and drove off without paying,” she said.

After her arrest she tried to convince police she told her co-offenders to leave the man alone.

The crown said the 21-year-old was serving a probation order during the offences after being sentenced for the unlawful use of a motor vehicle only a month prior.

Summa Jade Clarke stole fuel hours after violently assaulting a man.

Defence barrister Ross Malcomson, instructed by Kalo Criminal Law, said Clarke had been born in a woman’s correctional centre which was “no way to start a life”.

She was raised as one of ten children in Ayr and dropped out of school in year seven when her mum relapsed back into drug use, the court heard.

“A couple years later, saw her own commencement of drug use at 14 years of age,” Mr Malcomson said.

During his sentencing, Judge Michael Burnett, said her moral compass had been distorted due to the absence of nurture and care during her upbringing.

“It is ultimately better for the community Ms Clarke to have you employed and doing something useful with your time, living, paying taxes and so forth, not having you banged up in prison,” he said.

“But let me assure you, if you cannot do something about reforming your ways, you too will spend the rest of your life cycling in and out of prisons.

“If that’s what you want, nobody’s going to stop you and don’t expect any sympathy.”

Clark pleaded guilty to the unlawful use of a vehicle to commit an indictable crime at night and in company, robbery with personal violence in company and stealing.

She was sentenced to a suspended sentence of three and a half years, with an operational period of five years.

The 417 days she spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.

Originally published as Summa Jade Clarke sentenced in Townsville District Court for punching a man during a violent robbery