Dorothy Maisie Ryan: Mother of three smashes up Europcar Geraldton with metal pole after debiting money

A mother who smashed up a car rental agency for debiting money from her account without speaking to her first has been given a six-month community order over the incident. Dorothy Maisie Ryan, 32, appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday when she pleaded guilty to criminal damage and carrying an article to cause fear. The court was told Ryan became angry over a car rental disagreement after renting from Europcar Geraldton. Ryan had cleaned and returned the car rental, to her knowledge without damage, but the company called her to say there was a chip on the windscreen and her credit card was charged instantly. The mother of three went to the Europcar Geraldton office on Durlacher Street, angry the money had been taken out of her account without any proof. She brandished a metal pole at a staff member and used it to smash three car windows and a store window, causing it to shatter completely. It caused damage worth $5000. Defence counsel Eva Svanberg said Ryan became financially stressed when money was taken out of her account without notice and understood her reaction made the situation worse for her. She said Ryan was embarrassed about what she had done and was seeing a doctor to seek help for her anger. Magistrate Angus Hockton said Ryan needed to learn how to deal with life’s annoyances in a more appropriate way. “I understand the frustration and you should have been spoken to before, but getting a pole and smashing windows is too much,” he said. Ryan was given a six-month community based order.