Woman Split Police Officer's TesticlesANDREW DOWDELL, ADELAIDENOW REPORTER
December 16, 2009 01:02pm
A WOMAN who twisted a police officer's testicles after wiping a urine-soaked dress on him has escaped a jail term. Carol Suzanne Staltari was arrested by police after becoming aggressive while trying to remove her mother and brother from a northern suburbs nursing home in contravention of an order by the Guardianship Board in May 2007.
Staltari, 58, refused to get into a police car and urinated over her clothes, rubbing her soaked dress into a male Senior Constable's face and chest.
District Court judge Paul Cuthbertson said Staltari continued to behave in an erratic manner when taken into cells at Elizabeth Police Station.
When the same police officer tried to stop her standing up, Staltari grabbed his testicles and twisted them.
"You would not let go. It was a very serious assault on a police officer performing his duties who thus far had treated you with courtesy and respect, notwithstanding your unfortunate behaviour," Judge Cuthbertson said.
The assault left the officer with a tear in his right epididymis and a subsequent infection, leaving him with ongoing chronic pain and concerns over his ability to father children.
Judge Cuthbertson said doctors and psychiatric reports showed that Staltari suffered a "mixed personality disorder with borderline histrionic and narcissistic traits" as well as a chronic pain disorder.
The judge acknowledged that Staltari was "extremely distressed" at the time because the Guardianship Board, the Public Advocate and police had treated her mother and brother - who suffered dementia and Downs Syndrome respectively - in an unjust manner.
A psychiatric report said if imprisoned for the assault, Staltari would "do particularly badly" and there was a "very high likelihood that she would come into conflict with other inmates and correctional staff."
"While the offences are serious, it is my view that the degree of blameworthiness is lessened considerably by your psychiatric and psychological condition," Judge Cuthbertson said.
"I also think that the incident was a spur of the moment one and you did not intend to cause the severe damage to (the officer) which has in fact resulted."
Judge Cuthbertson suspended the nine-month prison term on the condition Staltari enter into a two-year good behaviour bond and that she undertake psychological or psychiatric treatment as ordered by her Community Services Officer.
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