A 22-year-old woman who ran towards police with a metal bar, went on a rampage and damaged nine government cars and threw a Coke can at a police car has been bailed.
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Lucie Morgan-Anne Johnson pleaded guilty to several charges on Monday when she appeared in the Launceston Magistrates Court after spending 23 days in custody.
The court heard Johnson walked into the CH Smith building car park on August 20 last year, smashed the exit gate, poured cement dust over two cars, broke car windows, pulled windshield wipers off and clambered into the front seat of a Subaru Outback before trying to start the car using nail scissors.
Police prosecutor Andrew Gillard detailed how on July 21, Johnson was spotted in her car in the car park of a charity shop, after which she started doing reverse donuts and speeding around the car park.
He said Johnson then got out of the car and charged at police with a metal bar.
The court heard earlier that morning, Johnson had been dropped at the police station by an Uber driver who did not want her in their car.
Police then took her home, but upon arrival Johnson said, "I don't live here you dumb c***," before walking inside, fetching a Coke can, and launching it 15 metres at the police car that had just dropped her home.
Johnson was also appearing in relation to other multiple offences whereby she was caught by police driving without a licence and with drugs in her system, and another evasion of police.
Johnson's defence attorney Fran McCracken told the court her client's offending, which paused between September last year and June this year, had resumed when a mental health plan she was on lapsed.
Magistrate Sharon Cure allowed Johnson to walk free from the court room after imposing bail conditions including the requirement to visit a mental health liaison officer and corrections officer by close of business on Tuesday.
"She's clearly been unrestrained and out of control," Ms Cure said.
"But I don't think she belongs in jail."
Johnson presented a letter to Ms Cure which the magistrate said detailed how a stint in prison had made the path she was on "very much hit home" and that she had almost had to surrender her pet staffy-cross-labrador.
"You're going to be off the road for a long time [and] you have to demonstrate what you've written to me is genuine," Ms Cure said.
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