Melissa Shepherd in court for throwing tinned tomatoes at a woman

A teary-eyed Melissa Shepherd of the Gold Panner, Bathurst, pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court on April 19 to common assault and contravening an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO).

Shepherd and the victim were at a home on Cripps Place in Kelso during the morning of April 13, 2023 when the 48-year-old suddenly became angry.

Shepherd went and got a can of tomatoes and threw it at the victim, who has a missing bone at the base of her head where the tin hit.

As a result of the assault, the victim passed out.

The court heard the victim, after she regained consciousness, grabbed Shepherd's phone and called triple zero and said she had been assaulted.

Police went to the Kelso home and spoke with the pair when Shepherd admitted to the assault and mentioned an AVO in place between her and the victim.

Shepherd was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station, where she told officers she threw the tomatoes because she was angry.

During sentencing, Shepherd's Legal Aid solicitor Matthew Tedeschi said his client had not offended for 19 years despite being in a "turbulent and difficult relationship at times".

Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis described Shepherd's role as a carer in the community "one of the hardest on earth" and said anger management would go a long way to helping deal with her emotions.

"You might think you're coping but this shows there are some cracks," Ms Ellis said.

Shepherd was placed on a community correction order for 12 months.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: