ACT Magistrates Court dismissed the charges against a Canberra woman who was charged with a hit-and-run on Mount Ainslie last year following a mental health report.
Before identifying the woman whose name has now been withheld, ACT Policing spent five months conducting their investigation into the hit-and-run.
She was first accused of reckless driving and neglecting to pull over and assist the victim.
When the man was discovered critically injured on the side of the road in June of last year and no one came forward, police were baffled.
He was given medical attention by paramedics and transferred to the hospital, where he spent several days in a critical condition.
The victim and her friend were driving near the Mount Ainslie overlook at night, the court heard, when the man emerged from the shadows and violently smashed on the car glass.
She claimed that as she drove off, she believed she had trampled his feet.
Although the negligent driving allegation was dropped, she was scheduled to get a sentencing today for failing to halt and offer aid.
Instead, her attorneys requested the allegation be withdrawn and filed a mental health report.
Although they did not contest the report’s findings, the prosecution requested that the court weigh those findings against the gravity of the offense in light of the circumstances in which they said she should have stopped.
James Stewart, a magistrate, disagreed.
On the Magistrates Court building is the ACT coat of arms.
For a person her age, she is suffering from serious mental health problems, according to Magistrate Stewart.
Although he admitted wrongdoing, he insisted that the woman required treatment rather than punishment.
She is not a constant threat to the community, he declared.
He rejected the last accusation and spoke to the woman directly.
You have a difficult path ahead of you, the magistrate added.
“You can live a long and happy life; nevertheless, you need to get treatment.
“Look after yourself.”
