Geraldton woman pleads guilty to charges of obstructing police after trying to trip them during drunken rage

A Geraldton woman has pleaded guilty to four charges before Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday for a string of offences from November and March. Appearing via video link, Jessica Leigh Sherras shook her head as police prosecutor Senior Constable Paul White read aloud the account of events that led to her being put in police lock-up on two occasions. The 36-year-old woman was found at a Fitzgerald St home heavily intoxicated and issued a move-on notice, but was found at the same address 10 minutes later. Sherras stuck her leg out in front of an officer trying to trip them over and was arrested and taken to Geraldton Police Station. Sen. Const. Paul white said “Ms Sherras was screaming and yelling in the lock-up, she was asked to stop but continued to act hostile”. The court was also told on another occasion, Sherras was found stealing $108 worth of goods from Rigters IGA. When the security guard took the bag with the goods she struck them in the head five times causing bodily harm, grabbed their shirt and swung seven more times. Sherras pleaded guilty to two charges of obstructing public officers, a charge of disorderly behaviour in a police station and one charge of criminal damage. Sherras lawyer said her past is marred with family and domestic violence, mental health problems that cause significant distress and make her act irrationally when put in police vans or lock-ups. The mother-of-four, having her first child at 14, detailed her history of psychotherapy that helped her manager her anger problems. The psych report explained Sherras entered fight or flight mode during the incident at IGA, blacking out and having partial memory of the incident. The magistrate argued “it’s more than fight or flight to me, it’s an expression of anger”, adding that there is consistency to her offending. “There needs to be deterrent, if she does not serve prison, if you assault shop workers who are doing their job then you can expect to be sentenced to prison,” the magistrate said. Sherras was imposed with an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 10 months and a $1200 combined global fine, and has been in remand since March 27. The magistrate finished by saying “if you don’t treat this behaviour you are at high risk of reoffending – your record speaks volumes, you continue to reoffend”.