Please let me plead guilty
Sat 19 May 2007
John Hammond, Journalism
This was the unusual request to Maroochydore Magistrate Cliff Taylor from a woman charged with public nuisance for squeezing a bar manager’s testicles.
Mr Taylor asked Tamara Head, representing herself, if she wanted to defer her hearing to seek legal advice.
The accused was reluctant to plead guilty to the charges presented by police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew MacPherson.
Several times Mr Taylor offered Head the opportunity to defer her matter until she had spoken to the duty solicitor.
After some indecision the accused told the court with three children to look after she did not want to have to return at a later date. “I’m too busy and don’t have time to spend here,” she said.
Mr Taylor stressed with her record the defendant could face a jail term and should consider getting legal aid.
“Please let me plead guilty. I might not get you again and you are very nice,” Head said to the amusement of all, including Mr Taylor.
Police prosecutor Sgt MacPherson told the court the offence occurred about 2am on Monday, March 12, 2007, outside O’Malley’s nightclub, Mooloolaba.
Head said she was to meet a male friend at O’Malley’s and when she arrived she saw him pinned to the ground with eight security guards sitting on him.
In her defence Head told Mr Taylor both she and her friend had asthma. She immediately saw he was having trouble breathing under the weight of the security personnel.
She said she yelled obscenities at the personnel and tried to free her friend but security guard 305 punched her in the head and again in the mouth.
The court heard police had been called and the nightclub manager told Head to sit on the ground. He stood facing her, separating her from the scuffle.
Head admitted having four glasses of champagne with dinner but was aware of her actions.
“I agree I grabbed the manager by the scrotum. The manager said to sit on my knees. His penis was in front of my mouth. I asked him to move out of my face. He refused, I grabbed him then the police arrived,” she said.
Head said police then handcuffed and arrested her.
Mr Taylor told Head she was lucky the manager did not press charges as violence and good-order offences were summary offences which could attract jail terms. He noted her convictions in 1998 and 2000 for public nuisance under the Vagrants and Gaming Act.
In summing up, Mr Taylor said he took into account the defendant’s early guilty plea, fined her $350 with no conviction recorded.
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