Nelson woman who spat in constable’s eye sentenced with time allowed for church

A woman who spat a constable's eye, and then in another's face has been curfewed at sentencing to allow time for her to attend church. Photo / 123rf

A woman sentenced for spitting in a constable’s eye and in the face of another officer has been curfewed to allow time for her to attend church.

A judge has also given a stern warning to Lyndell Sara Karaitiana that the police did not go to work to get hurt, hit or assaulted.

Karaitiana was sentenced today in the Nelson District Court to three months’ community detention and nine months’ supervision on two charges of assaulting police after they were called to a family argument at a Nelson address on January 31.

She was convicted and discharged on a charge of disorderly behaviour.

Drunk and yelling continuously, even after being warned by the police to stop, Karaitiana over-stepped the mark when she abused an elderly woman.

“You white c***s” don’t know,” she shouted at the woman and was then arrested.

The police summary of facts said Karaitiana was intoxicated and yelling continuously when they arrived.

She was warned several times that if she continued to yell and swear she would be arrested for disorder.

Karaitiana then walked to her home nearby, yelling abuse as she went, but this time at a person who police described as an elderly woman, dropping the four-letter expletive.

As the police tried to take her into custody Karaitiana began fighting a female constable and spat directly in her face, hitting her in the eyes.

The Victim Impact Statement revealed the constable had suffered eye irritation for about 12 hours, but otherwise, no other symptoms.

Karaitiana continued her fight with the police, even after she was in the car.

The 34-year-old managed to spit at another constable as he drove the car; her spittle “sprayed across his face” as he drove, the summary said.

She later told the police she’d “done nothing wrong”.

Defence lawyer Ian Miller told the court today that Karaitiana had “significant difficulties” around regulating her emotions, but had since done a lot of work to improve herself.

He said the events of that evening in January were influenced by emotional issues which were part of a long and ongoing process.

“She wants to be better for her children than her upbringing has led her to,” Miller said.

Judge Richard Russell accepted Karaitiana had endured a troubled past, and that she had come to Nelson to try and remove herself from those difficulties, but also noted her lengthy history of convictions for assault.

He said she had been remorseful and regretted what she had done, and acknowledged the positive life changes she was trying to make.

“What I would say to you is that assaults on the police are taken very seriously by the court.

“The police have a difficult enough job to do to keep the community safe without having to put up with the type of behaviour you have shown them,” Judge Russell said.

He added that spitting was an “obvious health hazard” and was therefore classed as assault.

In sentencing her Judge Russell arranged curfew around her being able to attend church and ordered her to attend alcohol and drug counselling as part of supervision.

He urged Karaitiana to try to live her life without alcohol and warned her that a more severe outcome was likely if she ended up back in court.