Girl who ran over former MLA also pleads guilty to endangering the life of a police officer

A teenage girl who ran over former Member for Wanguri John Bailey last year — almost completely severing his hand in the process — has pleaded guilty to causing serious harm.

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A TEENAGE girl who ran over former Member for Wanguri John Bailey last year — almost completely severing his hand in the process — has pleaded guilty to causing serious harm.

The then 15-year-old, who cannot be named, also pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court on Thursday to a string of other offences, including recklessly endangering the life of a police officer.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Everitt said the girl absconded from her care home on June 16 and “began aimlessly walking around the streets and environs of Rapid Creek looking for property to steal”.

At about 10.30pm she arrived at the home of Darwin solicitor Markus Spazzapan where she knocked over some bikes before he saw her walking past and asked her what she was doing.

The girl said she was looking for her grandfather and Mr Spazzapan told her grandfather didn’t live there and “asked if she wouldn’t mind leaving”.

Ms Everitt said the girl left but Mr Spazzapan later saw her emerging from the apartment block with a soft drink and wine bladder and he again asked her to leave.

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“She replied in a calm manner ‘I’m going to get a gun and come back and kill you’, she then walked away”, she said.

Shortly after 11pm the girl again returned to the apartment where she reached through a downstairs window and grabbed a set of car keys which she used to start Mr Spazzapan’s Subaru Outback and reversed into a roller door.

Neighbour John Bailey and his son James heard the noise and came outside where James tried to open the car door but she pulled away and accelerated down the driveway to where John was standing.

“John Bailey attempted to move out of the car’s path but the youth corrected her angle and drove directly at (him), he was then struck, forced under the station wagon and driven over,” Ms Everitt said.

The girl then also drove at Mr Spazzapan but narrowly missed him before driving off.

Former Darwin alderman and politician John Bailey is recovering from a serious incident and is lucky to still be alive. He is at Palmerston Hospital recovering and undergoing rehabilitation. Picture: Che Chorley

James Bailey tried to chase her before returning to his father who lay “severely injured in the driveway” with a panel from the car lying across him.

“James saw blood on his father’s face and coming from his arm where his hand had become separated from his forearm,” Ms Everitt said.

Police officers located the girl on Rapid Creek Rd and one of them identified himself and told her to turn off the car but she instead “accelerated at speed” towards him.

Ms Everitt said with nowhere to take cover, the officer “in fear for his life, drew his firearm from his holster and continued to shout at the youth to stop”.

He eventually managed to take evasive action and the girl again drove off before being spotted driving erratically towards Coolalinga where police again caught up with her in the early hours of the next morning.

Defence lawyer Julie Franz said the girl had had a number of interactions with police prior to the incident, which demonstrated “the chaotic nature of her life leading up to this offending”.

“Some where she was a suspected offender but others where she was clearly exposed to significant violence and a number of other damaging events,” she said.

“In particular, right before this offending she was a witness to a violent stabbing.”

The girl returns to court for sentencing in June.

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