Caterina de Garis, 27, admitted an offence under the Domestic Abuse and Related Provisions Law.
The court was told that in 2021 she had been found guilty of two counts of assaulting an ex-partner, and in May last year she was convicted for harassing another. A prison sentence of four months, suspended for one year, was imposed on the latter occasion of which she was now in breach.
The court heard how the defendant had began a relationship with her latest victim in February last year. The following month, when the man tried to end it in a video call, de Garis put a knife to her throat and told him he was going to have to change or there would be consequences. She had already been sending him monthly reports of his behaviour.
The court was told that on a single day she had messaged him more than 100 times and phoned him 12 times.
In a prepared statement that she read in interview, de Garis argued that she had been the victim.
The man told police later how he had spoken to de Garis’ family due to his concerns about her welfare, and he had not wanted to get the police involved.
Defending, Advocate Samuel Steel said his client had been drinking, which she rarely did, on the day she sent the messages. She was shocked when the recordings were played to her later. There had been no physical violence towards the man.
Counsel spoke of his client’s adverse childhood experiences, medical history, and the fact that she had already spent five months on remand.
The harassment conviction from last May had stemmed from her sending multiple messages to an ex-partner via social media.
Deputy Judge Russell Finch said he was concerned about the case and the defendant’s previous record. These matters were serious and troubling, and he was concerned that she would re-offend.
For the latest matter, and taking in to account the five months she had already spent in custody, he imposed a prison sentence of one month. The four-month suspended prison sentence was activated in full, to run concurrently.
A restraining order was imposed for an indefinite period after the court was told that the defence did not object.