Woman tells court she saw homicide

A Rotorua woman who has become a "frequent flyer" in criminal courts has told a district court judge her offending could be the result of witnessing a homicide.

Alexandria Gemini Ngarimu, who attracted national media attention last year after her attack on a woman in the street was caught on camera, pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court yesterday to a charge of assault after she received a sentence indication from Judge Maree Mackenzie.

The assault happened on December 30 last year after an argument between Ngarimu, 19, and the male victim.

Ngarimu was convicted and sentenced to six months' supervision, ordered to attend a domestic violence programme and any other programme as directed.

Judge Mackenzie acknowledged the incident between Ngarimu and the man had not been a one-way street, a view backed by police.

She said Ngarimu was currently on community detention and had three recent convictions.

"The offending seems to have happened in a spectacular rush over the past 12 months," she said. "All of a sudden you appear to be a frequent flyer in the criminal courts."

One of those was a conviction for assaulting a woman in daylight at the Pukuatua St bus stop last January.

The attack was caught on camera and made national headlines.

Ngarimu's lawyer, Aroha Cooper, told the judge her client had witnessed a homicide prior to the offending and was receiving counselling for that.

Judge Mackenzie said she had sympathy for Ngarimu in that respect but she had to change her behaviour for the sake of her own future and that of her baby.

"You need to get off this treadmill," she told Ngarimu.