A court in Queensland, Australia, heard how an enraged woman "turned her vehicle into a weapon" and chased a cyclist through a suburban neighbourhood, making "racial accusations" and smashing her SUV through garden fences in her pursuit of the victim.
Shelley Anne Alabaster had earlier struck the cyclist in Inala at around 3.30am on 30 October 2021 and was then seen on GoPro footage recorded by the rider driving her vehicle after him, revving the engine and waking neighbours during the rampage.
News.com.au reports the crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso told Brisbane Supreme Court: "[The cyclist] tried to raise people in some of the houses while calling triple zero. He had culpable fear. He was dry retching."
In the footage the cyclist can be heard saying "someone is trying to run me over" and "I'm dying, she's going to kill me." Ms Kelso said the initial collision had left the cyclist with bruising to his leg, and there was "nothing" to explain why she then made "racial accusations" and "pursued" him through the neighbourhood.
At one point the cyclist was threatened as he fled to a front garden, the neighbours woken up by the "ferocious" sound of the SUV being revved.
Alabaster was initially charged with attempted murder but since pleaded guilty to charges of dangerously operating a motor vehicle, threatening violence at night and assault occasioning bodily harm while armed.
She was sentenced to three years in prison but immediately released on parole for the "terrifying" incident after the court heard the victim's impact statement, which judge Peter Callaghan described as "one of the most extraordinary documents I've seen".
Despite the physical and psychological harm imposed the victim told the court he "finds no peace" in Alabaster's incarceration and wished to see the accused "rehabilitated".
"He might be entitled to feel unmitigated enmity towards you… instead he has made a remarkable request, to me, to show the compassion you denied to him," Supreme Court justice Callaghan said. "It's one of the most extraordinary documents I've seen."
Defence barrister Jakub Lodziak said his client was remorseful and "embarrassed" and while not drunk at the time of the incident had been an alcoholic since her 20s and suffered "trauma" growing up.
Alabaster also admitted driving without a licence and five counts of wilful damage and was disqualified from holding a licence for two years. Mr Lodziak said his client had received mental health treatment during her 13-month pre-sentence custody.
The court heard that her criminal history frequently involved being drunk and "behaving poorly" to police.
Sentencing, judge Callaghan told Alabaster she had turned her vehicle "into a weapon and attacked an innocent civilian".
I mean, his day job's literally hitting people, so...
1/ Anybody calling somebody else a grass or a snitch, would appear to have questionable ethics/morals themselves....
Indeed, more space than to be given to a cyclist. Not diving into a muddy verge earned me the threat of assault and being declared a f*cking idiot.
Yeah, but we want grumbling about Ultegra cranks or Lancs police
I think we have a lot in common with equestrians - like our lives on country roads are made difficult and dangerous by drivers being the main one....
This seems to be my theme ATM but I think almost every infra / legal story here could be ended with the following and have the majority of the...
Firstly, I'm sorry to hear about your nan and I agree that culturally we, in the UK, probably don't engage with healthcare as much as we should....
It sure is!
If this happened to my wife or mother I would make it my personal mission in life to find and torture this person until he accidentally died.
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