Oamaru woman Elle Dunjey has been given a chance to turn her life around after a brief taste of prison.
The 20-year-old - once famously arrested after a 30-minute chase in Oamaru wearing pink pyjama pants and a hoodie - has got intensive supervision for a year and assessment for drug and alcohol and anger management programmes.
She was also disqualified from driving for six months by Judge Noel Walsh at her sentencing in Christchurch District Court today.
She had pleaded guilty to a raft of offending in Oamaru, including assault with intent to injure, being found unlawfully in a yard, under-20 drink-driving, two breaches of bail, breach of community work, two of driving while her licence was suspended, and possession of cannabis and a pipe for smoking it.
Defence counsel Peter Doody said Dunjey had "fallen in with undesirables" but the judge could have confidence that she would do the programmes required. She had written a letter of apology to the victim of the assault.
Judge Walsh said Dunjey had assaulted a woman who was talking to her partner, punching her repeatedly and dragging her to the ground by the hair. The victim spent a night in hospital with blurred vision, a headache, and a ripped ear.
He said the pre-sentence report on Dunjey's history was "harrowing to read".
She had left school at age 13, and had a history of gambling and drug issues. She had more than $19,000 in unpaid fines, and a community work sentence to complete.
He noted that she was now in what he termed a violent relationship and an unhealthy lifestyle.
She was "streetwise and on a destructive path" unless she urgently did something about the way her life was going.
She had had a brief taste of prison while on remand since January.
She must live with her mother during her year of intensive supervision and her fines will be remitted if there are no breaches of the sentence. She received a suspended sentence on some of the charges.
