Drunken socialite allegedly 'went berserk' and 'bit police officer', court hears
A drunken socialite who allegedly bit police and assaulted a stranger in Sydney’s eastern suburbs was “going really berserk” trying to kick and punch officers, a court has heard.
Shari-Lea Hitchcock, 48, allegedly lashed out at a woman who tried to help her across Oxford Street before biting a young female constable in March 2016.
The former mistress of late billionaire Richard Pratt was a danger to herself and others because of her severe intoxication, police prosecutor Craig Pullen told Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.
The court has previously heard Hitchcock had left a boozy lunch and was stumbling on the road in her high-heel boots in Woollahra when the incident occurred more than two years ago.
She was spotted hanging onto a rail on Oxford Street by bystander Jan Haswell, a good Samaritan driving home from church, Senior Sergeant Pullen told the court.
Ms Haswell allegedly tried to guide Hitchcock off the road and stopped her from leaving in a taxi and also a random passing car with “four young yahoos” before police arrived at the scene.
One male officer said the swaying Hitchcock had slurred speech when she called his female partner a “little f***ing bitch” before they restrained her, the court heard.
Sen Sgt Pullen said Hitchcock was highly intoxicated, aggressive and abusive when she kicked the female constable and bit her on the left leg around the knee.
Hitchcock has pleaded not guilty to common assault, assaulting police and resisting arrest.
Defence barrister Daniel McMahon argued the officers’ evidence was inconsistent with that of other police who said Hitchcock had originally been “perfectly pleasant” and co-operative before things “got physical”.
Ms Haswell was an unreliable witness with at times bizarre and exaggerated testimony, and the male officer had used excessive force, Mr McMahon added.
Hitchcock’s other lawyer, Greg James, previously submitted a doctor’s report stating she was suffering from a hypoglycemic episode and argued her “increasingly irrational” reaction to police was due to a belief she was being unlawfully detained.
Hitchcock’s application to have the matter heard under a mental health disorder clause was refused in April 2017.
Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson on Monday reserved her decision for July 11.
