After attacking a teenage girl in an underground Kingston tunnel last year, a mother of three has pleaded guilty to charges of wounding and common assault.
Rebecca Ann Trinder, in her 30s, assaulted the then-16-year-old in January 2022 believing that she and her group of friends were filming her.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard how Trinder, who lived nearby, confronted the group as three teenagers left the tunnel and began shouting verbal threats at them, yelling if the victim wanted “to have a go” and “a punch on.”
When the teenagers attempted to distance themselves, Trinder physically attacked the victim, who was sitting on the ground holding her phone.
Justice Estcourt said Trinder “forcefully kicked” the teenager’s phone from her hand, strangled her, “violently slammed” her head into the ground and bit her jaw area, causing a 3cm wound as she screamed.
The police were called, but due to Trinder’s level of intoxication and her responsibility for her three children, they delayed further action.
The injured teenager visited the Royal Hobart Hospital for medical treatment the next day, requiring surgery for the wound that had “penetrated through … the skin to the subcutaneous fat layer”.
Two weeks later, Trinder voluntarily participated in a police interview, leading to her arrest and subsequent charges.
Justice Estcourt said the teenager has been “affected in every area of her daily life” since the attack, with the scar making her feel “unattractive”, “uncomfortable” and “anxious”, unable to cope “with a lot of people around her”.
“She has seen a psychologist to help her cope, having self-medicated with alcohol,” Justice Estcourt said.
Justice Estcourt said Trinder has faced difficulties after her father’s death at age 16, has three dependent children and struggles with alcohol issues.
Despite recognising the seriousness of the assault, Justice Estcourt recommended a two-year suspended six-month prison sentence and a two-year community correction order for Trinder, with conditions aimed at rehabilitation and addressing her issues.
