A homeless woman accused of assaulting a man in Parramatta has been released on parole.
Dinah Phineasa, 30, fronted Parramatta Local Court via video link on Tuesday, February 28, charged with ‘assault occasioning actual bodily harm’.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman was represented by a Legal Aid lawyer who told the court that she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“She seems to keep slipping through the cracks,” he told Magistrate Kate Thompson.
It is alleged that Phineasa started yelling abuse and swearing at a man who was placing items in the boot of his vehicle outside the Riverside Theatre.
According to police facts, she proceeded to flash the victim and expose her private parts and breast before walking towards his vehicle.
They say she then reached through the window of the victim’s car and struck his lip with a clenched fist.
The victim allegedly began to bleed and his pregnant wife, who was also in the car, called Triple Zero.
Shortly after, police arrived and found Phineasa in the bus shelter on Market Street and the victim waiting in his car across the road.
They allegedly spoke to the victim, took photos of his injuries and obtained a statement before approaching the accused.
When questioned in relation to the assault Phineasa said, “yeah I hit him but I don’t know why”.
She was arrested and taken to Merrylands Police Station.
Magistrate Thompson told the court that Phineasa’s record “shows a number of acts of violence”, including an unprovoked attack on a member of the public.
“You’re someone who’s going to need a lot of support in the community,” she said.
Phineasa was sentenced to seven months imprisonment with a non-parole period of two months.
She was released on Tuesday and was due front Parramatta Local Court for a separate matter this week.
Formerly with the ABC, Makayla is a graduate of Western Sydney University. She covers a variety of news topics for Parra News.