A repeat violent offender who hurt a dog and previously stormed off in court after a magistrate suggested she needed soul searching had intention to seriously hurt other detainees after she was taken into custody for breaching bail, a court has heard.
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Julie-Anne Kathleen Collett in May 2021 argued with a woman and threatened to throw out her dog in Canberra, facts previously tendered to the ACT Magistrates Court state.
The offender, 26, then grabbed the dog, saying "I'm getting this f------g dog out now".
She held the animal around its neck before finally letting go after the owner kept yelling.
The offender came back to the premises about 15 minutes later to smash the locked screen door and punch the dog owner in the head numerous times.
In February, Collett resisted a police arrest for breaching bail.
She used her legs to block the door of a caged police car as she was forced inside.
Officers warned her about using capsicum spray to which she responded with: "f--k you, spray me".
She spat at police but missed. Police then used capsicum spray on her.
She appeared in court on Thursday after pleading guilty to hitting or kicking an animal, assault, destroying property, and resisting a police officer.
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In May, Collett was granted bail in relation to those charges but was arrested in August for breaching bail and was charged with a fresh offence to which she pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that a report notes Collett admitted having intention to seriously hurt other detainees during her time in custody.
Magistrate Louise Taylor said the assault and property damage meant the offender breached a 12-month good behaviour order attached to a partially suspended sentence imposed on her in December 2020 for assault occasioning bodily harm.
Ms Taylor said that while the offending against the dog involved Collett forcefully pulling and holding it around its neck, the acts "do not appear to be protracted or to have caused the animal significant pain or injury".
The court heard Collett has an extensive criminal history, particularly in relation to violence, which Ms Taylor said was used to assess leniency and whether her offending represented an aberration.
"It does not [represent an aberration]. She has a clear and consistent history of violent offending," Ms Taylor said.
The magistrate said Collett also has a history of breaching court orders, including unsatisfactory compliance with an intensive corrections order in 2018 as she tested positive for drugs and failed to follow directions.
Ms Taylor said the offender was still young and her prospects of rehabilitation would be enhanced if she "genuinely and enthusiastically" engaged with programs to help her anger and drug use.
"Without significant intervention, I fear the defendant will continue to return to the cycle of violence she has demonstrated herself to be very capable of," she said.
Collett was fined $900 for the animal-related offence and sentenced to 10 months' jail, backdated to April, for the other offences.
For the suspended sentence breach, Ms Taylor sentenced Collett to about two months' jail backdated to January.
The magistrate told the offender she had "so much life ahead of you".
"I don't take any pleasure in seeing you spending anymore of your life where you are ... it's a waste of life," Ms Taylor said.
Collett said "my mindset down here is I don't want anymore charges".
"I just want to go home to be a family. I'm just over this life."
The offender thanked the magistrate for "giving me a chance" because "if it wasn't you in that chair, I don't think it would've been pretty".
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