EXCLUSIVE Shock twist for socialite Vanessa Jacobs Fennell who went on a drunken rampage in her Range Rover after a boozed-up lunch - before assaulting a cop in a ritzy suburb
A Sydney socialite who assaulted a police officer after crashing her Range Rover into a parked Tesla has pleaded guilty to a string of charges.
Vanessa Jacobs Fennell has admitted negligent driving, assaulting police, refusing to submit to a breath test and failing to give her particulars to the owner of damaged property.
The 54-year-old formally entered the pleas at Waverley Local Court late last month but is still seeking to have the matters dealt with under mental health provisions of the law.
Jacobs Fennell was arrested at Bellevue Hill in Sydney's eastern suburbs after crashing her Range Rover on Riddell Street on March 21.
The mother-of-two, who was once in the running to be in reality TV show Real Housewives of Sydney, spent a night in a police cell after her run-in with the law.
Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed Jacobs Fennell immediately after the incident as bystanders tried to persuade her to get out the car.
She smiled broadly from the driver's seat as witnesses tried to undo her seatbelt and get her to leave the car for someone else to park.
The charity maven and a group of Scots College mums were seen enjoying drinks at Double Bay restaurant Tanuki on the afternoon of the crash, before some of them headed across the road to martini bar Bobbie's.
Jacobs Fennell has told friends the driving incident was brought about by drinking two glasses of rosé while she had the antidepressant Celapram in her system, triggering her 'out of character' behaviour.
She is understood to suffer from depression and recurring nightmares following the death of a baby daughter.
Her recent break-up with prominent Melbourne businessman Nathan Sable has also added to her mental health issues, it is understood.
The pair are believed to have been a couple until a few weeks before Valentine's Day when things suddenly cooled.
Before dating Mr Sable, Jacobs Fennell was married to private equity banker Tom Fennell, who lives very close to the crash site where she was arrested.
Jacobs Fennell made her first appearance at Waverley Local Court on April 1 when she entered not guilty pleas to three charges.
On that occasion, she was dressed in a black suit, oversized $830 Louis Vuitton sunglasses and an $8,500 Cartier watch as she carried a $8,600-plus Fendi handbag.
The negligent driving charge was added on May 20 when Jacobs Fennell changed her earlier not guilty pleas to guilty.
Court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia state Jacobs Fennell allegedly failed to give her required particulars 'within the required time' to the driver of the other car.
She is also alleged to have assaulted a male constable during the execution of his duty.
Jacobs Fennell was described as 'a charity fundraiser who has been on committees for Sydney Children's Hospital and Murdoch Children's Research Institute'.
She is due to appear in court on June 23 when she will apply to have the charges dealt with under Section 14 of the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
35 minutes ago
- Reuters
Erin Patterson: Australian accused in mushroom murders finishes giving evidence
SYDNEY, June 12 (Reuters) - An Australian woman accused of murder denied on Thursday she deliberately included poisonous mushrooms in a lunch she served to three elderly relatives of her estranged husband, as the prosecution wrapped up five days of cross-examination. Erin Patterson is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023. The prosecution accuses her of foraging for the death caps, before drying them and knowingly serving them in individual portions of Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. Patterson denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident". On Thursday, prosecution barrister Nanette Rogers ended her cross-examination by accusing Patterson of deliberately sourcing the mushrooms for the lunch. "I suggest you deliberately included them in the Beef Wellington you served (the guests)... you did so intending to kill them." "Disagree," the accused replied. The lengthy cross-examination followed three days of questioning from the 50-year-old's own barrister, Colin Mandy. Erin Patterson was the only witness called by her defence, and her decision to take the stand reignited interest in the trial, now in its seventh week. Media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs. The jury is next expected to hear closing arguments from the prosecution and defence, before presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale gives his instructions to the jury. The trial is expected to conclude later this month.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australian Human Rights Commission president calls for end to police investigating deaths in police custody
The president of the Australian Human Rights Commission has urged police to stop investigating the deaths of people who have died in police custody after the death of an Aboriginal man who was restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket, saying the practice 'breeds mistrust' and 'a lack of accountability'. It comes as the Northern Territory coroner, Judge Elisabeth Armitage, released a statement affirming that the mandatory inquest into Kumanjayi White's death would be 'independent, fair and rigorous'. White, a 24-year-old man with several disabilities, died on 27 May after being restrained by two off-duty, plainclothes police officers following an alleged scuffle at a Coles supermarket in the central Australian town. The AHRC president, Hugh de Kretser, joined calls from the Warlpiri man's family, advocates and federal senators who say the investigation into his death should be independent from the NT police force. The family have repeatedly demanded an independent investigation, the release of CCTV footage and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation is ongoing. On Wednesday they held a vigil outside the Alice Springs courthouse, their third since White's death. De Kretser used his June message to urge an independent investigation. 'Community trust is critical for effective policing,' he wrote. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'Communities experiencing disadvantage need the best of policing and yet often receive the worst. It's why the response to these, and other deaths in custody, is critical. 'When police investigate themselves, it breeds mistrust and increases the risks of poor investigations and a lack of accountability.' He said while coronial inquests 'bring a measure of independence', they still relied on evidence gathered by police. Victoria's Yoorook Justice Commission recommended the establishment of an independent police oversight authority to investigate and report on all deaths after contact with police, similar to the police ombudsman in Northern Ireland. De Kretser said all Australian jurisdictions should establish such a body. 'Until they do, the mistrust and injustice that flows from police investigating themselves will continue,' he said. Yoorook made the recommendation in its 2023 criminal justice report, in which the former chief commissioner of Victoria police, Shane Patton, 'agreed that the police oversight system would be strengthened if there was independent investigation of police complaints', De Kretser wrote. White was from Yuendumu, a community rocked by the fatal 2019 shooting of Kumanjayi Walker by an NT police officer, Zachary Rolfe. Rolfe was charged with murder but acquitted of all charges in a supreme court trial. The inquest into Walker's death, which heard shocking stories of racism in NT police, was due to hand down its findings this week but the date was pushed back to next month due to concerns about community tension after White's death. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion On Thursday the NT coroner announced the appointment of Dr Peggy Dwyer SC and Maria Walz as senior counsel and instructor assisting for the inquest into White's death. 'The Counsel Assisting team are highly experienced in the conduct of complex inquests, in NT Police practice and in knowledge of, and engagement with, Alice Springs and Yuendumu-based agencies and broader community,' Armitage said. 'Appointment of an experienced team at this early stage will help to ensure that the inquest is comprehensive and that it is completed in an independent and timely manner.' De Kretser's comments follow national rallies in solidarity with the Warlpiri community and in response to the death last week of another Aboriginal man in custody in Darwin. The 68-year-old from the remote community of Wadeye died in intensive care at Darwin hospital about a week after Australian federal police arrested him in response to reports he was 'intoxicated' and unable to board a flight out of Darwin. NT police said the cause of death was undetermined, pending a postmortem examination. He was a respected and senior elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. The NT police and government have repeatedly ruled out another jurisdiction taking over the Alice Springs investigation. NT police have been contacted for further comment. Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Australian man allegedly abandons wife and baby overseas after tricking them into going on holiday to Pakistan
An Australian man who allegedly abandoned his wife and baby in Pakistan after convincing them to go on a holiday has been charged with human trafficking. The 45-year-old became the focus of a federal investigation in February after his wife filed a report alleging she had been left overseas without any documentation. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will allege the man convinced his wife and one-year-old child to travel with him to Pakistan in August last year. When they arrived, he allegedly unlawfully took the child's passport and abandoned the pair at the airport before returning to Australia on his own. He then allegedly cancelled his wife's Australian visa and kept their child's passport. When his wife arrived back in Australia in February she contacted the AFP, who, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, flew the child home. The man was arrested at a home in Austral, in Sydney's southwest, on Wednesday and charged with human trafficking offences. He's facing charges of trafficking a person from Australia by using deception, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison. The man is led away by detectives after being charged with human trafficking The man was set to face the Liverpool Local Court on Thursday. In September, another man was hit with similar charges. He was accused of convincing his wife and children to fly to Pakistan with him after being told they would be visiting family members. He too left them and returned to Australia with their passports and visas.
