WARNING: This report contains uncensored coarse language
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While watching footage of her alleged erratic driving on the screens around Newcastle Local Court on Friday, Kristianne Francis Bycroft muttered something under her breath about how she wasn't the person driving.
But then she couldn't help herself.
"They stole $300 off me, Your Honour," she said, pointing at the screen that showed a course of driving police labelled "extremely dangerous" that "put many lives at risk".
"The yellow car, the yellow car," Ms Bycroft said. "He stole $300 off me the junkie, he deserved it. He's a junkie."
The yellow car Ms Bycroft referred to was a Holden Barina that was rammed by Ford ute on Hunter Street about 6.15am yesterday.
The 55-year-old male driver of the Barina, who police said was known to Ms Bycroft, was then hit by the ute after he got out of the car. He received minor injuries to his arm.
The ute then pushes its way through several stopped cars at a red light before colliding with a car passing through the Stewart Avenue intersection.
Ms Bycroft, who said she was desperate to get back to a room at the Family Hotel in Hunter Street where she had two puppies to look after, talked incessantly throughout her protracted appearance in court.
She talked over the magistrate, she talked over her solicitors, both of them, she talked over the prosecutor and she talked over the mobile phone footage, almost providing a commentary for what was occurring on the screen.
"Everyone trapped me in, so I felt like I was trapped, no one would let me out," Ms Bycroft said while watching the video.
When the crash occurred in the intersection she called out and said: "I don't ever want to drive again, I'm sorry."
After trying unsuccessfully to get instructions from Ms Bycroft, solicitor Julie Fleming urged Magistrate Robert Stone to have her taken to a mental health facility to undergo an assessment.
"The film disturbed me," Mr Stone said. "Because it appears to show someone driving a vehicle and ramming another vehicle particularly when someone close by could have been injured. "So on the face of it it is a very serious offence but it might also show someone who is mentally unwell.
Ultimately, Mr Stone chose not to have her assessed at a facility and instead Ms Bycroft made a failed bid for bail. The matter was adjourned until Monday and Mr Stone recommended she undergo an immediate mental health assessment.
Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said vision of the incident "speaks for itself".
"The driving was an abomination, extremely dangerous, many lives at risk," he said.
"Despite the commentary on some of the videos we've seen, [which] some might find humerous, what I'm looking at is the potentiality for people to die in the main street of Newcastle.
"The potentiality for a fatality was quite evident.
"I'm just thankful no one was seriously injured."
