Took sticking up for herself too far

Saturday 29 February 2020

A woman has been told to do 120 hours of community service after her attempts to break up a fight in Town turned into a sustained attack on a man.

Linda Dubrovska, 24, was walking through the North Plantation at around 03:20 on the morning of 17 November last year.

Two men were fighting, one of whom was shouting abuse at Dubrovska, so she walked over and slapped him. 

She moved away after that, but then saw the two men fall to the ground, with the man she had slapped holding the other in a head lock. She started to try and pry them apart, before starting to slap or strike him around his upper torso and head. She then starts to move away again, but kicked out three or four times towards the complainant's head.

Finally, the complainant got upright, but Dubrovska continued to shout at him and hit him. 

Pictured: CCTV caught the fight on tape at the North Plantation.

While the man didn't suffer any serious injuries, he did have bruising and swelling. Judge Gary Perry said it was often luck that no injuries were caused in incidents like this, and it was possible he could have been killed by kicking him in the head. 

Having watched CCTV footage of events, he concluded that the assault was sustained - lasting three or four minutes - and said he counted three times Dubrovska went back in to throw more blows. "[The defendant] had numerous opportunities to walk away, but there was a continuation of the shouting and the assaults."

Dubrovska's defence advocate said it was clearly a massive overreaction, but that she had been sticking up for herself. He said she had gone beyond standing up for herself firmly and robustly. 

Judge Perry said: "This was in my view an extremely serious incident. Whoever started it and whatever was said, if you hit and kick people while they are on the ground, the chances are that they could be killed.

"I take the view that this was a sustained and vicious attack, and if it wasn't for your good character, I would have had no hesitation in sending you to prison today, but on balance I am not going to do that."

Dubrovska's Community Service Order was given as a direct alternative to four months in custody. 

Pictured top: Dubrovksa was sentenced in the Magistrate's Court.