A dispute over a man was the catalyst for a bizarre 'hit and run' at Berkeley that left a 17-year-old girl in hospital and the vehicle's driver facing criminal charges.
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Emma Stinson was charged with dangerous driving over the July 31, 2018 incident, however pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm in a plea deal with police.
Court documents said the 27-year-old had three other passengers in her Holden Commodore when she drove into a quiet cul-de-sac in Berkeley and pulled up behind another vehicle carrying the victim.
When the victim saw Stinson, she jumped out of the car and ran towards the Commodore, throwing herself on the bonnet and trying to reach into the car through the window.
Stinson reversed the Commodore a short way up the street before driving it forward again.
She mounted the kerb and took out a letterbox before returning to the roadway, at which time the victim fell from the bonnet onto the bitumen.
Stinson then drove off, leaving the victim lying in the gutter with serious head injuries.
The injured teen was flown to St George Hospital where doctors diagnosed her with a hairline fracture to the left cheekbone.
She was discharged from hospital on August 2.
Meanwhile, Stinson was interviewed by police after her arrest, telling officers the victim had sent her abusive and threatening messages earlier in the week over Stinson's friendship with her ex-boyfriend.
Stinson claimed she'd been lured to the location by a would-be friend so the victim could confront her and she'd "freaked out" when the younger woman had jumped on the car's bonnet.
"[Stinson] told police she drove away because she believed that had she stayed there she would have been bashed and she had to protect herself," police wrote in documents tendered to Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday.
Defence lawyer Matt Russoniello said Stinson had complied with strict bail conditions and kept on the "Straight and narrow" since the incident.
"She's keen to put these matters behind her," he said.
Police labelled Stinson's actions behind the wheel as "outrageous" but didn't oppose a non-custodial sentence.
Magistrate Susan McGowan agreed with police, saying it was a "stroke of luck" the victim wasn't more seriously injured.
She sentenced Stinson to a 12-month intensive corrections order, which includes 100 hours of unpaid community service work.
