Margaret Peta Roberts Bolton: Woman who punched and dragged friend at Katanning Magistrates Court avoids jail

A Katanning woman who fought her friend in front of court, smashed home windows with bricks and stole food avoided a jail term. Margaret Peta Roberts Bolton, having pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing, obstructing a public officer, fighting in public and two counts of criminal damage on April 29, appeared in Katanning Magistrates Court on Tuesday, May 27 for sentencing. On March 4, the 24-year-old was seen by about 30 people punching her female friend in the head and dragging her by the hair in front of Katanning Magistrates Court. She resisted a police officer’s attempt to restrain her and ignored his demands to stop for some time until he eventually pulled her away. Five days later, Roberts Bolton entered EG Ampol Katanning at 7pm and stole two meat pies, a coke bottle and two chocolate bars before re-entering at 8pm to take another coke bottle, chocolate bars and chocolate milk, totalling $41.80. On March 16, she stole similar items to the total of $55.40 by hiding them in her waistband. The following month on April 10, Roberts Bolton smashed a home window with a brick at 8.30pm, repeating the offending the next day at 1.30pm. Defence lawyer Kyah Langdon said her client’s offending was aggravated by methamphetamine use and she was “upset with herself for breaking the windows”. She said the victim of the fight was a roommate who had stolen a sentimental bracelet from Roberts Bolton and she just “saw red” and “couldn’t comprehend what was going on at the time” when police tried to intervene. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell asked the community corrections officer if Roberts Bolton had been following her eight-month community corrections order from February 26, for criminal damage and assault. The officer said Roberts Bolton had failed to report for intake and ignored all contact attempts before relaying the facts to the court. On September 27, Roberts Bolton threw a brick through a kitchen window at midday. When police confronted her the next day she said she was aiming for the victim’s head. On October 1, she filled a pram up with meat from Katanning IGA and attempted to leave the store without paying. When a staff member tried to stop her, Roberts Bolton continuously rammed the pram at the victim. Ms O’Donnell re-sentenced Roberts Bolton to a community order and nine months jail suspended for 10 months. She was also fined $1850, $1000 in compensation for the windows, $99 in compensation for stealing and $312 in costs.