An Illawarra teen who launched a “cat fight” styled attack on a 12-year-old girl outside Figtree McDonalds has been ordered to undergo anger management counselling in court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sharlie Calder grabbed the young victim by the hair and dragged her to the ground in the frenzied melee, said to have been sparked by Calder’s unfounded belief that the girl and her friends had been laughing at her.
It took five McDonalds staff members and Calder’s mother to drag the 18-year-old off the victim and separate the pair.
In court on Tuesday, Magistrate Mark Douglass expressed concern at the “blatant” violence Calder had used against such a “vulnerable” victim.
He also raised concerns about her apparent inability to control her emotions.
”You seem like you don’t have the skills in relation to anger management to negotiate social spaces at this stage in your life,” he said in ordering her to attend behavioural counselling courses for the duration of her 12-month community correction order.
Court documents said the victim and her friends were laughing at videos on their mobile phones when Calder walked past their outdoor table on the afternoon of August 30.
“The offender became agitated and upset about the group’s laughter, believing they were laughing at her,” an agreed statement of facts said.
“She confronted the group, then entered the restaurant.”
The court heard the victim went inside a short time later to buy an ice cream and was again confronted by Calder.
She told Calder they had not been laughing at her, however Calder was unconvinced and threatened the victim, before returning to the carpark and firing off a volley of abuse at the group.
Calder then approached the table and continued to berate the girls, prompting McDonalds staff to intervene and ask Calder to leave.
The argument turned physical moments later when Calder pegged her drink at the victim, who responded by chucking her ice cream at Calder.
An enraged Calder then forced her way through the throng of McDonalds employees and rushed at the victim, violently grabbing her by the head and hair.
Staff tried to stop the altercation, however both girls fell to the ground, where Calder retained a vice-like grip on the victim’s hair until they were eventually separated a minute later.
Staff rushed the girl inside the store for her protection. She suffered bruising to her left eye and a nose bleed but was otherwise unhurt.
Calder and her family left the location before police arrived but was arrested later that day. She plead guilty to a charge of affray in court on Tuesday.
