Woman avoids jail after driving at ex-lover twice

A woman in her 50s won’t be punished with a jail sentence after driving twice at her ex-lover’s car after she encountered him by chance on the Bass Highway.

A North-West Tasmanian woman has been punished with community service after using her car as a weapon to drive at her ex-lover twice after they broke up.

A WOMAN who “used her car as a weapon” by deliberately swerving at her former lover’s vehicle twice will be punished with unpaid community service.

Sharon Lorraine Hayes, 54, lived with the Somerset man for about six months before an argument that ended their relationship in May 2018, the Supreme Court of Tasmania heard.

A police family violence order was subsequently taken out against her but two days later, the man was driving along the Bass Highway at Ocean Vista when Hayes – by chance – was driving in the opposite direction.

“She deliberately swerved onto his side of the road and drove straight towards his vehicle, travelling at about 70km/h,” Chief Justice Alan Blow said while sentencing.

“He avoided a collision by driving hard to his left into a bike lane.”

Hayes stopped, turned her car and drove back toward the man, overtaking him and stopping her car in front of his in the middle of the road.

The victim made a U-turn, drove off in the opposite direction and phoned the police.

At the suggestion of officers, he performed another U-turn with the intention of attending the Burnie police station but encountered Hayes again, driving in the opposite direction.

“She crossed onto the wrong side of the road and drove towards his vehicle in his lane at about 70km/h,” Chief Justice Blow said.

“This time, he avoided a collision by swerving to his right, onto his wrong side of the road.”

Hayes drove into the oncoming bike lane, was arrested later that day and spent one night in custody.

“The incident was no doubt a frightening one for the man in question,” Chief Justice Blow said.

“Ms Hayes has had a difficult life but she has stayed out of serious trouble … what she did on the day in question was out of character.

“She may well have had legitimate grievances about her partner’s conduct, but that does not excuse what she did.

“She used her car as a weapon … it is fortunate that no collision occurred, and that no one was hurt.”

Hayes, who pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, was convicted and placed under a 12-month community correction order with 70 hours of community service.

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