Within two days of being granted bail in Orange Local Court for drug possession, a woman found herself back in police custody after being filmed assaulting a couple in their front yard.
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Sammy-Jo Newton, 28, of Anson Street has been in jail awaiting sentencing since February 9, and appeared in court via audio visual link on Monday when she was sentenced to several 18-month jail sentences with nine-month non-parole periods.
One jail sentence was for possessing 2.3 grams of methamphetamine that was found in a glasses case hidden down her trousers at 7.50am in Summer Street on January 13.
Newton was granted bail for the matter on February 6 but a day later assaulted a couple who she accused of hitting her sister with their car and was arrested at a neighbouring house on February 8.
According to police facts the couple were driving towards Sir Neville Howse Place about 9pm on February 7 when they saw a group of people on the road and a girl riding a bike away from them.
They saw the girl fall off the bike but later on the group accused the couple of hitting her with their car, which they denied, saying they had proof on their car dash-camera.
However, Newton followed the female passenger into her yard, pulled off the woman’s glasses and punched her in the face, then punched the male driver in the back.
She was sentenced to jail for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault for the attack on the couple as well as two charges of assaulting police in the execution of duty when she refused to get into the dock and tried to spit on them.
Newton was fined $500 for a charge of destroying or damaging property after she spat on the perspex window of the police dock.
She was also fined $400 for shoplifting a 1.25 litre tub of ice-cream from an Orange supermarket on December 9, 2016.
Newton was represented in court by solicitor Mick Madden, who acknowledged a full-time custodial sentence was likely given his client’s criminal history.
Magistrate Terry Lucas agreed there was no alternative but full-time custody but said because Newton pleaded guilty to the charges it would reduce the sentence, which he backdated to February 9, meaning she could be released on November 8.
“You do have a life believe it or not, it’s up to you whether you want to live it or not,” Mr Lucas said.