Woman jailed over attack with scissors

A SOUTHERN Tasmanian woman will spend at least seven months behind bars for a scissor attack on another woman.

A Supreme Court jury last month found Rianna Rochelle Lumley, 24, guilty of wounding Megan Gerlach on December 29, 2016.

Sentencing Lumley this week, Chief Justice Alan Blow said Lumley went to Ms Gerlach’s home to confront her about a Facebook post.

“Ms Gerlach was hostile to her [Lumley] because she had concluded that Ms Lumley had taken her boyfriend from her,” Chief Justice Blow said.

“Ms Lumley was an intoxicated drug user. She was hostile to Ms Gerlach because Ms Gerlach had publicly posted an image of her on Facebook, scantily clad in some sort of ‘maid costume’, with the caption: ‘Dirty dog. Up for offers!!! Comes with the clap’.”

Chief Justice Blow said the two women began to fight.

“Ms Gerlach was unarmed but Ms Lumley had secretly armed herself with a pair of scissors,” he said.

“With those scissors she inflicted wounds to Ms Gerlach’s neck, right hand and right leg.”

Chief Justice Blow said the attack was a “terrible experience” for Ms Gerlach. “She has a scar to her face. She has some sort of permanent impairment to her right hand that involves numbness,” he said.

“She was a vulnerable individual from a psychological point of view at the time of this attack and ... her life has been in turmoil ever since.”

Chief Justice Blow said not long before the day of the attack, Lumley had developed a “terrible drug problem”. He said she had spent time in jail for driving, drug and dishonesty crimes, but since being bailed in June last year, had made “substantial efforts to overcome her drug problem”.

Chief Justice Blow said it was a “serious attack with terrible consequences” and jail time was appropriate.

He sentenced her to 12 months’ jail, backdated to January 25 to take into account time spent in custody, with six months suspended for two years after her release. Lumley will be eligible to apply for parole after serving seven months.