Kaylah Louise Maxine Cook granted bail in ACT Magistrates Court for funeral despite alleged stabbing

Kaylah Louise Maxine Cook, 28, was granted a day of leave to attend a funeral in NSW despite having at least seven previous arrest warrants, failing to appear in court three times and being wanted by police after an alleged attack last year.

Ms Cook has been charged with aggravated robbery and intentionally wounding a person.

Chief Magistrate Louise Walker took aim at ACT Corrective Services, saying the court had been "yet again put in a difficult position" because they had not processed Ms Cook's application for leave.

Ms Walker said addressing the matter in court was "highly undesirable" and that Ms Cook had already been refused bail for "good reason".

READ MORE: ACT Policing appeal to locate Kaylah Cook

Ms Cook allegedly arrived at her friend's home at about 6pm on December 21, when she asked to stay overnight before pacing around the house for hours in the early hours of the next day, court documents state.

Ms Cook told her friend "she had not slept in three days as she was paranoid", and eventually left at about 5am before returning four hours later with a "wheel brace in one hand and a [purple] knife ... in the other".

Police said an "extremely angry" Ms Cook accused her friend of stealing money and "repeatedly [called] her a witch".

Ms Cook then allegedly tried hit to her friend's face with the wheel brace "causing pain and bruising", before stabbing the alleged victim's shoulder and hand with the knife.

The alleged victim then ran outside of the house screaming for help, court documents say.

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The alleged victim said she later realised her wallet which contained $200 in cash, her $800 Prada prescription glasses and her black Samsung mobile phone had gone missing.

The woman was also taken to Calvary Hospital to treat injuries, including multiple puncture wounds and incisions to her hands and arms.

Ms Cook was granted leave to attend her grandfather's funeral - who was described as like her "third parent" - despite a "history of failing to appear" at court.

The court heard Ms Cook's grandfather died on Friday and ACT corrective services had not responded to an official request for leave to attend the funeral more than three hours away in Henty, NSW.

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Prosecutor Tahlia Drumgold initially opposed bail, telling the court there was a risk Ms Cook may re-offend or fail to reappear.

Defence lawyer James McGuire said Ms Cook would be under the watchful eye of her father, who would drive her to and from Henty.

"It's not a 21st birthday, it's a funeral," he said.

Ms Cook's father gave evidence to the court via phone, saying his daughter and his step-father were "extremely close".

Appearing emotional as he spoke of the recent death, the father promised to keep Ms Cook "very, very close" and said she respected him and her mother too much to commit an offence in their presence.

He also promised to pay a surety of $200.

Under questioning by Ms Drumgold, Ms Cook's father said he would be prepared to report any breach by his daughter to police.

"Kaylah has a history of failing to appear," Ms Drumgold said.

After hearing the father's evidence, the prosecution withdrew their opposition to the bail application.

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Chief Magistrate Walker said Ms Cook had an "appalling criminal history", at least seven warrants for arrest issued in both NSW and ACT and three failures to appeal.

Ms Walker said while she was "not entirely without disquiet", she believed bail conditions were highly likely to ameliorate the risk Ms Cook would re-offend or fail to reappear.

Ms Cook has been granted bail to leave the Alexander Maconochie Centre for the funeral from 7am to 5pm on Thursday, April 22.

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