A Ballina woman has pleaded guilty to kicking a police officer during the recovery of a six-week-old puppy that police suspected had been stolen.
Rianna Brand, 24, admitted six offences involving repeated AVO breaches, two clothing thefts, assaults on a police officer and a Ballina Fair security guard, and possession of suspected stolen goods.
Police recovery of six-week-old puppy
According to police facts filed with the court, the puppy first came to police attention on March 29, when Brand walked into Ballina Police Station and boasted that she had found a cardboard box and taken the puppy from it before quickly leaving the station.
Two days later, its owner reported Brand had taken one of the puppies recently born to his dog.
On the afternoon of April 1, emergency services received several calls about Brand screaming and yelling at Megan Reserve, Lennox Head.
Facts filed with the court state that callers believed Brand was affected by drugs or alcohol or experiencing a mental-health episode.
NSW Ambulance paramedics attended, but Brand became hostile and called them “pigs” after they did not provide her with a bottle of water, prompting them to request help from Ballina police.
Brand had left the reserve by the time officers arrived but was later found behaving erratically outside the Shell service station on Byron Street with the puppy in a shopping basket.
She claimed at different times that she had bought the animal, found it in a cardboard box or was pet-sitting, but could not prove she owned it or had permission to possess it.
Police found Brand had no suitable food, water or shelter for the puppy, which was too young to eat solid food.
She refused and kicked a police officer in the leg, prompting officers to restrain her and recover the animal.
Theft and attack on security guard
Police facts state Brand stole about $300 worth of clothing from Sportspower on River Street, Ballina, on June 27.
The following day, she stole a Rabbitohs bucket hat from BrightEyes at Ballina Fair.
BrightEyes staff alerted centre security, and a guard found Brand wearing the hat inside City Beach.
When questioned, Brand kicked the guard in the knee, struck him in the groin and attempted to hit him again before grabbing his arm and scratching his bicep, causing a laceration.
After the guard detained her, Brand threw several coins at his head, leaving multiple marks.
Police later arrested her outside the shopping centre with other clothing from Cotton On and Rebel for which she could not produce receipts.
Although Brand declined a formal police interview, police facts record her as saying: “What do you expect me to do? I don’t have any clothes and no money.”
The documents also record Brand describing the stolen Rabbitohs bucket hat as “an early Christmas present”.
Ballina woman denied bail over Ballina Fair offences
Brand had been on bail over the AVO breaches, but her bail was revoked after the court refused to release her over the Ballina Fair offences.
She has remained in custody since June 29.
Brand has pleaded guilty to six criminal offences but has not yet been sentenced.
Those matters, including the puppy-related assault, are listed for sentence at Ballina Local Court on September 30.
A separate, unrelated AVO application remains before the court, with Brand due at Ballina Local Court on August 28.
Main image: Rianna Brand/Instagram