Roxanne Marie Shar: Geraldton woman who spat at and threatened police spared jail time

A Geraldton woman who spat on and threatened police officers earlier this year has been spared jail.

Roxanne Marie Shar appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with three counts of assault public officer, two counts of obstructing public officers and one count of armed robbery and threat to unlawfully do an act.

The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to all charges, while the armed robbery charge was downgraded to stealing.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Paul Burkinshaw said on April 7 Shar stole three Emu Export bottles from Con’s Liquor store in Utakarra.

The court was told she attempted to leave the store but was unable to do so, resulting in an altercation with one of the employees.

The victim followed her after the altercation and directed police to her location.

Shar fought officers who were trying to remove the beer bottles from her, pulling one from her pants and raising it above her shoulders in a baseball bat-like grip.

Police then drew tasers and Shar was repeatedly tasered before being arrested and placed in an observation holding cell.

While in the cell, she held a syringe and began making threats to an officer.

Officers opened the door after 30 minutes and secured Shar, who then sat back down in the cell and continued to make threats to the officers and their families.

She then spat on the officers, hitting them directly on the head and hand.

Her lawyer Georgia Keysers told the court Shar had spent three months and 11 days in custody, as well as a month on home detention bail.

She said Shar was admitted to Graylands Hospital in early February and released after a few weeks.

Shar did not get placed back on her medication and was left homeless, as she had been for the past five years.

Ms Keysers said her client’s priority was to get her own housing with the help of NDIS funding and to stay away from illicit substances.

She said Shar was able to be supervised in the community, highlighting the intensive supervision order she completed in 2018.

Magistrate Angus Hockton acknowledged the progress Shar had made.

“You look a lot more stable today than you have in the past,” he said.

“Turn your life around, be compliant with your medication.”

Mr Hockton placed Shar on a community-based order and fined her $150, plus prosecution costs for the stealing charge.