A magistrate has ordered a Bellambi woman to sort out her anger issues after she spat in the face of a Woolies worker at the self-serve checkouts.
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"You have some real impulse control problems, do you understand that?" Magistrate Mark Douglass told Adryene Puruto during her sentencing for common assault on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old fired up at a Woolworths Corrimal staff member on August 10 after she was asked if all of her groceries had been scanned.
Puruto verbally abused the worker, yelling "shut the f--- up" and "get the f--- out of my face".
A store manager then approached Puruto and copped the same abuse.
"Get the f--- out of my face, you're stressing me out," Puruto yelled.
The ordeal escalated when Puruto was asked to leave the store. "Do you want me to go c---?" she yelled, before thrusting her head at the manager, indicating she would headbutt her.
Puruto then coughed up phlegm and spat it directly onto the manager's face. The entire incident was caught on CCTV.
Police approached Puruto and she initially denied spitting at the victim. However she confessed to the crime at Wollongong Local Court earlier this month.
Magistrate Mark Douglass said Puruto's offending was a serious example of an assault and pointed to her "growing" criminal record.
"That person would have felt so violated ... I've had contact with so many victims who say they'd rather be punched over being spat on," the magistrate said.
"You really need to get some skills on how to handle yourself when you're angry."
Defence lawyer Stewart Holt said Puruto acknowledged she acted "in an entirely unacceptable and inappropriate way".
Puruto was handed a 12-month community corrections order and was ordered to participate in an anger management course.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
