Fine for ‘pork chop’ carry-on

A South West magistrate has told a 38-year-old Bunbury woman she “carried on like an absolute pork chop” after she exposed her breasts to police officers who told her to move on and later resisted arrest. Sally Anne Brockwell was fined $1300, plus court costs, after pleading guilty to charges of behaving in a disorderly manner in public, obstructing public officers and possessing cannabis. The court was told Brockwell was walking through Victoria Street near Fitzgerald’s Irish Bar on July 2 when police sighted her and deemed her to be behaving in a disorderly manner while under the influence of alcohol. Although the officers told Brockwell to move on, she became more belligerent and exposed her breasts in front of the officers as well as people waiting in the queue outside the bar. When the officers arrested her, Brockwell became more aggressive and started kicking and swinging her arms to prevent the officers from placing her in the back of the police vehicle. Police prosecutor Sergeant Darren Grigson said it took four officers to place her in the back of the van. When Brockwell was eventually taken to Bunbury Police Station, the court was told she continued to act in an aggressive manner towards the officers. A search on her found less than 1g of cannabis inside a sock. In submissions, Brockwell admitted she was stressed about her personal life at the time of offending, resorting to drinking alcohol to “let her hair down”. However, Brockwell claimed she was never given a “formal” move-on notice from the officers and alleged she was “pretty much assaulted” by the officers that arrested her. It was also submitted Brockwell had the cannabis in her possession to deal with chronic pain. In sentencing, Magistrate Benjamin Tyers said Brockwell “carried on like an absolute pork chop” that night and should have just moved on when police officers told her to. “It’s just outrageous behaviour from a mature woman like you,” he said. “The police have better things to do than deal with someone behaving in that manner.”