A young mother has avoided jail time for drunkenly punching a good Samaritan, who was shot later the same night, after the man tried to prevent her being run over by a car.
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Isabella Denis, 21, was handed a good behaviour order when she appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday to be sentenced on five charges, including two linked to the confrontation.
Agreed facts tendered to the court say Denis attended a party at a Dunlop house on May 30 and had a number of alcoholic drinks.
About 8.15pm that night, Denis turned up at another house in the same suburb and knocked on the door.
When she was greeted by a woman, she said "Oh, sorry, wrong house", and proceeded to lie down on the road outside.
The woman and her husband were concerned that Denis would be hit by a car, so they approached her and asked if she was OK.
Denis told them to "f--- off" and would not listen as the couple tried to reason with her, so the man lifted her off the road and put her down on the nearby footpath
She "became enraged" by this, according to the agreed facts, and jumped up and punched the man in the face.
The couple withdrew to their house while Denis yelled "f--- off, get off my land and go back to your country".
Denis then kicked over the couple's letterbox and fled when the man told her he was going to call the police.
Denis was not charged over what happened next, but it is alleged in related court proceedings that she returned to the party and told her ex-boyfriend that she had been "in a fight".
The other man is accused of smashing a window at the house with a baseball bat.
Police say that while the man earlier assaulted by Denis tried to grab the bat, Mr Hallam, 33, shot him in the chest and left him with non-life-threatening injuries.
Mr Hallam and his alleged co-offender are still before the courts on those allegations, and Mr Hallam has pleaded not guilty to two charges.
Denis, meanwhile, pleaded guilty at an early opportunity to common assault and property damage.
She also admitted to three unrelated charges of drink-driving, drug-driving and failing to give way.
Those charges followed a 2019 car crash that Denis was unable to remember as a result of her high alcohol reading.
Prosecutor Luke Crocker argued the court should find that Denis' offending in the May 2020 incident was aggravated by what is alleged to have happened after she left the scene.
His position was that her actions kick-started a "course of conduct" that culminated with more serious offending by others.
But Denis' lawyer, Daniel Turner, told the court this was "quite frankly appalling".
He argued prosecutors were making a "back door" attempt to hold Denis responsible for crimes she was not charged with and that were allegedly committed when she was no longer present at the scene.
Mr Crocker and Mr Turner ultimately agreed to amend the statement of facts so that Denis was sentenced only on her direct involvement.
Mr Turner said that since her offending, Denis had sought help for mental health, drug and alcohol issues.
He said the mother-of-one had experienced a disadvantaged childhood, but was now engaging with a range of services to better herself and working towards education qualifications.
Magistrate Louise Taylor applauded the steps Denis had taken towards rehabilitation, telling her: "You are to be truly commended for the work that you've done."
Ms Taylor urged Denis to continue her progress and described her prospects for rehabilitation as "excellent".
She imposed an aggregate sentence of an 18-month good behaviour order, a 12-month driver's licence disqualification and a $180 fine.
