Charity maven charged with assaulting a cop claims she had a panic attack

A charity maven charged with assaulting a police officer and refusing to be breath tested after a car crash in the eastern suburbs, claims she had a panic attack and was injured during her arrest.

Sydney fundraiser Vanessa Jacobs Fennell.

A charity maven charged with assaulting a police officer and refusing to be breath-tested after a car crash in the eastern suburbs, claims she had a panic attack and was injured during her arrest.

Vanessa Jacobs Fennell, 54, spent Friday night in a holding cell at Waverley police station after she was arrested following wild scenes in Bellevue Hill.

The mother-of-two was allegedly behind the wheel of her Black Range Rover Sport when she sideswiped a Tesla in Riddell St, just before 7pm.

Witnesses to the bingle called police claiming the driver looked “disoriented” and was driving erratically through narrow streets.

Vanessa Jacobs Fennell, 54, was arrested on Friday night and charged with assaulting police after a crash in Bellevue Hill.

One onlooker said witnesses yelled to the woman to stop and leave a note on the damaged Tesla, but she refused.

In a statement, NSW Police said the driver underwent a roadside breath test which returned a positive reading.

Jacobs Fennell (pictured) told The Daily Telegraph she suffered a panic attack which prevented her undergoing a second breath test at the police station. PIcture: Daily Telegraph / Gaye Gerard

But it was when police placed Jacobs Fennell under arrest to take her to the police station for a blood-alcohol test, that things allegedly turned pear-shaped.

“Following the arrest, the woman allegedly assaulted a police officer,” NSW Police said in a statement.

Jacobs Fennell was charged with refusing to submit to a breath analysis, assault police in execution of duty and not give particulars to the owner of damaged vehicle.

On Sunday, Jacobs Fennell, who has served on the board of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Gold Committee among other charities, told The Daily Telegraph she had a panic attack at the police station which prevented her giving another breath test.

She also claims to have suffered bruising to one wrist when police arrested her.

“I accidentally clipped a rear view mirror of a car unknowingly. I had a panic attack and was unable to be breathalysed. Police arrested me and badly bruised me in the process of arrest,” Jacobs Fennell said.

Charity maven Vanessa Jacobs Fennell claims she suffered bruising to her wrist when she was arrested. Picture is supplied by Vanessa Jacobs Fennell

After spending a night in a police cell, Jacobs Fennell was given bail on Saturday afternoon. She will face court again next month.

In 2021, Jacobs Fennell made headlines when she took action against a “pushy” real estate agent she claimed was harassing her into selling her multimillion-dollar Tamarama home.

In a complaint to NSW Fair Trading, Jacobs Fennell said the overzealous agent had caused her “enormous stress” for 14-months by repeatedly approaching her with offers on her beachside home, despite it not being on the market.

She and husband Tom Fennell, a private equities banker, were in the process of finalising their separation when she said the agent kept marketing her home without her permission, consent or a contract.

No action was taken against the agent.

Originally published as Charity maven charged with assaulting a cop claims she had a panic attack