A woman was high on ice the night she smashed up a childcare centre causing $62,000 worth of damage, the Supreme Court in Launceston heard.
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Karli Breeze Newitt, now 38, of Devonport, pleaded guilty to a count of burglary and unlawfully injuring property on October 13, 2019.
Crown prosecutor Georgia Robinson said at 6am on that day a Devonport householder answered the door to a woman covered in mud and glitter.
The householder was told by the woman that she had been attacked by a man and that she had spent the night running away from him.
When police arrived the woman told them she had broken into the Paisley Park Early Learning Centre and had caused a lot of damage.
"When police visited property was strewn throughout the centre and it smelt strongly of urine," Ms Robinson said.
Items were thrown on the floor, including art equipment, glitter, linen and paint and a telephone was damaged. There were blood-like stains on the floor and in a shower cubicle.
The defendant gained entry via a smashed door at the rear of the building.
Ms Robinson said Newitt was identified by CCTV but made no admissions when interviewed. The centre was closed for three days while it was cleaned up.
"Eight skip bins were required to remove the damaged material," Ms Robinson said.
Defence counsel Beri Kurdistan said that Newitt had started using methylamphetamine after a turbulent 11-year marriage broke down in May 2018.
She said she had held employment in the past as a licensed jockey's agent which ended in 2018.
"She was the victim of frequent abuse and violence," Ms Kurdistan said.
She said Newitt left the relationship when violence affected the children.
Ms Kurdistan said that since separation she had been subject to constant threats and she lived in a woman's shelter until August 2018.
She said Newitt had completed a number of programs aimed at ceasing drug use. She was fined $800 for two counts of destroy property in September 2020.
"It is my submission that there has been no similar offending since 2020," she said.
The court heard that Newitt received a suspended jail sentence in 2018 for an extremely high drink-driving reading. Newitt had been in custody since May 5 and had served 43 days in jail. She submitted that Newitt be released for time served.
Justice Robert Pearce told Newitt he would not release her immediately but wanted to get a report on her suitability to do community service. Sentencing is on June 22 at 4.15pm.
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Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for The Examiner. My journalism career has clicked over 34 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for The Examiner. My journalism career has clicked over 34 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
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