A prisoner has been found guilty of "jugging" a volunteer during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Canberra's jail.
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Rebecca Katherine Krutsky, 51, poured two cups of boiling water on the victim, who suffered burns to her chest and neck.
After a judge-alone ACT Supreme Court trial in November, Krutsky was found guilty of recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson also found Krutsky not guilty of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and the statutory alternative of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Krutsky was in jail after purposefully driving at two pedestrians before she crashed into a garage door.
This caused between $40,000 and $50,000 worth of damage, with Krutsky's vehicle crashing through the door and hitting a BMW belonging to the homeowners.
According to reasons relating to Krutsky's latest crime, published recently, the victim in his case visited the Alexander Maconochie Centre in November 2022 as a volunteer in order to facilitate a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
During the trial, the prosecution had argued that about 10 minutes after the meeting began, Krutsky walked into the room carrying two cups of black tea.
Krutsky and the victim knew each other, having both been inmates at the jail between 2017 and 2018.
The prosecution had alleged the cups contained boiling water that was "at a maximum boiling hot and at a minimum scalding hot".
When Krutsky walked towards the victim, the woman thought she was approaching to give her a hug.
The prosecution had argued that Krutsky, standing about 20 centimetres away, then poured both cups over the woman's upper chest and back area.
A prosecutor had argued that after feeling immediate, intense pain the victim said "What the f---?" and Krutsky replied: "You know what that's for".
After hearing screams, two corrections officers entered the room and heard other inmates shouting, "She jugged her, she jugged her; it was Krutsky".
The prosecution alleged that afterwards, Krutsky told a corrections officer "She knows what she did" and explained that it was "over $100,000 in the community" and that it was "150 per cent worth it".
The victim was taken to Canberra Hospital with blisters over her neck, back, chest and underneath her breasts.
During the trial, the defence had claimed there were two primary issues.
Firstly, whether the conduct amounted to the level of grievous bodily harm and, secondly, the question of intention.
The judge found that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the injuries constituted grievous bodily harm.
"In my view, 'serious' bodily harm has been established beyond reasonable doubt but not 'really serious' bodily harm," Justice Loukas-Karlsson said.
However, Krutsky was found to have recklessly inflicted actual bodily harm.
"The injuries are more than 'merely transient and trifling' and have significantly interfered and continue to interfere with the complainant's health and comfort," Justice Loukas-Karlsson said.
"I am satisfied the accused poured the liquid in the cups and was alive to the possibility of inflicting actual bodily harm."
Krutsky is set to begin sentencing proceedings at a later date.
