Emerald court: Tiara Lorna Ann Sullivan, 25, guilt of assault at hairdresser

A Central Queensland woman has been charged with assault after a fight, involving hair-pulling, at an Emerald hair salon. Read what happened in court.

A woman pulled a worker’s hair in a fight at an Emerald salon.

A Central Queensland woman has been charged with assault after a fight, involving hair-pulling, at an Emerald hair salon.

Tiara Lorna Ann Sullivan, 25, pleaded guilty in Emerald Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 to one count of common assault over the incident.

Police Prosecutor Sergeant Rachel Todd said police were called to an Emerald hairdressing salon about 3.15pm on July 11, 2022 and spoke to the victim, who was upset the assault had occurred at her place of work.

“She reported to police that the defendant was outside her workplace with two other girls and they have yelled at her,” Sgt Todd said.

“The defendant has then entered the workplace and started swinging both her arms towards the victim, yelling ‘this is for you king hitting me the other night.”

The court heard Sullivan grabbed the victim by her hair and pulled it ‘with force’.

Sgt Todd said a client of the victim’s, who was at the business at the time, had to intervene and pulled the defendant off of the victim.

The court heard Sullivan then warned the victim ‘I’ll be back tomorrow’ and left with her friends.

The victim gave the police a formal statement but did not sustain any injuries as a result of the attack.

Sgt Todd said Sullivan later voluntarily attended the police station, where admitted to the assault at the hair salon, and told police the assault was a continuation of an ongoing physical fight.

She told police that in the initial fight the victim assaulted her but she “did get a couple of hits on her”.

Sgt Todd said the matter remained unresolved and Sullivan told police she did go to the victim’s workplace but said she should not have tried to resolve the matter this way.

Rockhampton-based duty lawyer Lachlan Robertson represented Sullivan, who he said moved to Emerald three or four months ago from Brisbane to be with her former partner.

“With that relationship ending my client intends to move back to Brisbane where she has the support of significant family and friends,” he said.

“She is currently not working. She was working at the bakery here in Emerald for a period of time, but upon making that decision to relocate back to Brisbane that employment has since ceased.”

Mr Robertson said it was in his client’s favour that she voluntarily attended the police station and made admissions.

“She had the insight to be able to recognise that despite there being that history between herself and the complainant, the manner in which she tried to resolve that history was entirely inappropriate,” Mr Robertson said.

Mr Robertson asked Magistrate Rosemary Gilbert to use the court’s discretion when deciding whether to record a conviction or not so as not to impact his client’s future socially or economically.

Ms Gilbert told Sullivan her behaviour was ‘not suitable’ and it was ‘fortunate’ the victim was not injured.

“It was indeed, as you told the police, wrong of you to go to this girl’s workplace and attempt to prolong an earlier dispute,” she said.

“It wasn’t the correct way to deal with it, it wasn’t mature.

“Ms Sullivan, you are now at the point where if you were to come before the court again, a conviction would likely be recorded and that would have severe impacts on your future employability for a start.

“I’m not recording a conviction today but take that on board.”

Ms Gilbert convicted and fined Sullivan $400. A conviction was not recorded.

Originally published as Emerald court: Tiara Lorna Ann Sullivan, 25, guilt of assault at hairdresser