A woman who threatened someone with a knife in a Morisset street after a string of incidents where she intimidated people through text messages - including telling one she would set her house alight and blow-up her car - has avoided serving a sentence in prison.
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Chloe Leigh Ward was on Tuesday handed a 17-month Intensive Correction Order and told to complete 200 hours of community service as an alternative to spending that time in jail.
Toronto Local Court heard that, in January 2023, Ward threatened her partner's former girlfriend in an exchange via text message in which she said she would break her neck and take her child.
Ward - who was pregnant at the time - assaulted the woman the following day, grabbing her in a headlock and punching her repeatedly in the head, face, arms and body.
Then in mid 2023, she threatened her - by-that-time - former partner's sister in an attempt to get money.
The court heard that Ward said she would cut the brake lines on the woman's vehicle and also threatened to set fire to her home and blow-up her car if the former partner did not pay.
On Christmas Day, when she told police she was unable to report as per her bail conditions, Ward produced a doctor's certificate.
But the doctor who Ward said had issued the document later told police he did not authorise the certificate - he was not at work that day.
Finally, in January 2024, Ward approached a woman in Morisset's shopping precinct and threatened her with a folding knife that had an 8cm blade. When she was arrested soon after, police found the knife in her bag.
Ward was at conditional liberty - either on a Community Corrections Order or bail - at the time of each offence, the court heard.
An Intensive Correction Order, which was the penalty given to Ward on Tuesday, is a custodial sentence served in the community under the supervision of Community Corrections. Any breaches of conditions are dealt with by the NSW State Parole Authority.
