Socialite Vanessa Jacobs Fennell's shock call after assaulting police officer
A Sydney socialite told police words to the effect of 'well at least I didn't kill anyone' after crashing her Range Rover, refusing a breath test and then assaulting a police officer.
Vanessa Jacobs Fennell, 54, refused a breath test and then crashed her luxe Range Rover into a parked Tesla before assaulting a police officer in Bellevue Hill in Sydney's east on March 21.
She was charged with refusing to submit to breath analysis, assault police officer in the execution of duty, not give particulars to owner of damaged property, and negligent driving.
Fennell – who was previously short-listed to appear on the second season of controversial reality show Real Housewives of Sydney in 2023 – pleaded guilty last month to all four charges, but is seeking to have the matters dealt with under mental health provisions of the law.
She did not appear in Waverley Local Court on Monday where her matter was briefly mentioned.
Her lawyer Helen Christinson asked the court for a further date for a report to be prepared.
Court documents seen by NewsWire revealed bystanders called police shortly after Fennell was stopped by a good Samaritan on a road in Bellevue Hill who informed her that her car was 'severely damaged' and had two flat tyres.
When police arrived, Fennell was 'uncooperative', and initially denied being the driver of the damaged Range Rover.
While being arrested, the socialite became 'highly agitated', before slapping the police officer and resisting arrest, the documents state.
After being informed she had assaulted a police officer, she laughed and showed 'no remorse for her actions', police said in the documents.
While police were speaking with her the socialite then said words to the effect of: 'well at least I didn't kill anyone', court documents said.
The assault was captured on police body cam footage.
In a police interview, Fennell admitted to driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The stay at home mum also failed to give her required particulars 'within the required time' to the driver of the other car.
The mother of two was previously married to private equity investor Tom Fennell, with reports the couple called it quits about five years ago.
She's also regularly been snapped at charity luncheons and events across the Harbour City.
She will return to Waverley Local Court again on August 12.
Her bail is to continue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
18 minutes ago
- ABC News
Man accused of sexually assaulting 11-year-old he met on dating app tells jury he didn't know she was underage
WARNING: This story contains details of child sexual abuse. A man on trial for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl has insisted he thought she was "a petite 19-year-old". Shegu Charles Bobb, 27, is facing a jury trial in the ACT Supreme Court for alleged sexual offences against the 11-year-old in February 2020. The pair met on a dating platform called Badoo when he was 21. During his cross examination, Mr Bobb said he thought the girl's small size and weight could have been due to an eating disorder and not because she was lying about her age. "I just thought she was a petite 19-year-old." Prosecutor Marcus Dyason pointed to inconsistencies in Mr Bobb's continued denials that he knew she was 11, and not 19. He suggested to Mr Bobb that when he sent the message "… can't believe you are that young" he "understood [he] was sending a message to an 11-year-old". Mr Bobb denied that. He said he had never encountered people lying about their age on online dating platforms, and that he had believed the girl was the age on her profile. But during Mr Dyason's questioning, Mr Bobb admitted he had previously lied about his own birth date in order to gain access to the dating platforms in 2014 and 2015. "So you do have experience of people lying about their age to get access to an 18 plus site when they aren't 18," Mr Dyason said. "Yes," Mr Bobb replied. Mr Bobb said he would have created those accounts with friends "for sh**s and gig[gle]s". Details of messages exchanged between Mr Bobb and the girl in the lead up to the alleged assaults were also read to the court. When asked why he had sent the message "how old are you" on Saturday February 22 while he was waiting in the car outside the girl's house, Mr Bobb said it was because he was surprised by how sexually "up front" their conversation was for someone who was 19. He agreed their plan was to have sex in his car, despite what he described as a "fairly huge age gap" due to their difference in life experience. They had exchanged explicit images and the girl had asked Mr Bobb to explain step-by-step the plan for their sexual encounter. But when the girl did not come outside to meet Mr Bobb on the Saturday, he said he drove home and continued messaging her that evening. The messages read out to the jury detailed their arrangements to meet the following day to have sex in the car at a location where they would not be caught. Mr Bobb said because he was black, he believed if the girl's parents or neighbours saw him in the area there would be suspicion, hence the plan to drive away from sight. When the girl messaged she was "scared" Mr Bobb said he replied "up to you" because he wanted to reassure her. "I wasn't forcing her," he said. He said he had met the girl near her home and she entered the car — which he was borrowing from his neighbour. During the drive, the girl allegedly "buried her head in her phone" and communicated by messaging on the Badoo app instead of verbally. Mr Bobb told the court he thought this was weird. He drove to a car park in Mount Stromlo where Mr Bobb said he told the girl to "get in the back", which is when many of the alleged offences occurred. He said he stopped when his phone began buzzing with notifications from the girl. "I verbally asked her, 'Can I touch you?' She nodded," he said. "My phone started buzzing … I looked at my phone and that's when I saw her texting, 'I can't, I can't'." Mr Bobb denied accusations that he had raped her, and that he threatened to kill her and her family. He said he let her out of the car and later texted her an apology because he "felt like [he] had scared her". "I was not apologising for any of the things she's now accusing me of, the sexual act that never happened. "Back then I guess I was just dumb and doing stuff, but I wouldn't go as far as doing this." The jury is expected to begin deliberations later in the week.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Ballarat Grammar launches third investigation into boys' boarding houses
A prestigious regional Victorian independent school has launched its third investigation in five months into allegations of "serious misconduct" in its boys' boarding houses. In a letter to parents today, Ballarat Grammar (BGS) said over the past fortnight new information had "come to light", and it would now begin an investigation. In February, reports emerged of allegations of student-on-student abuse within Dart House, prompting an independent inquiry into the school's culture. Victoria Police said it continued to investigate the incidents that occurred between 2023 and 2024 at Ballarat Grammar. In the letter, the school said it commissioned another independent investigation into the second boys' boarding facility, Wigan House. "The findings from this investigation have been reviewed and appropriate actions are now being implemented," the letter said. "[Ballarat Grammar School] continues to cooperate with Victoria Police, as requested. "While our independent processes are limited to current students and staff, we continue to urge anyone with historical concerns or allegations to contact the police directly." BGS said a full boarding review, conducted by Bradley Fenner, resulted in 32 recommendations, 31 of which had been adopted. The school said it had now implemented stronger supervision and staffing, enhanced training and oversight, upgraded security, and improved communication, reporting, cultural education and leadership. The one remaining recommendation was to rebuild or "significantly reconfigure Dart House", which is instead being considered by the school "in the context of longer-term infrastructure planning". BGS said "through both investigations and feedback from students, parents and staff, it became clear that a broader cultural shift was also needed".
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Victoria records highest number of arrests in 172 years as crime rate soars
627,268 criminal offences were recorded in Victoria in the 12 months to the end of March 2025 — an increase of 91,692 offences compared to the previous year. Victoria Police says officers have removed an average of 44 blades from the hands of offenders every day this year. Youth crime remains at its highest level since electronic records began in 1993. "I woke up shocked when I received a call from Victoria Police in the middle of the night telling me that my cars had been stolen and they were coming to my house," recalls Sanjeev, a resident of Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. Sanjeev, an Indian-origin man, says the break-in—which occurred while his wife and two children were asleep—left his children traumatised. Following the incident, the family eventually sold their home. However, this is not an isolated case. Aggravated residential burglaries are 'at a historic high' in Victoria, according to the latest data revealed by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA). Overall, crimes in Victoria have increased by 17.1 per cent in the past 12 months up to March 2025, the data has revealed. One of the fastest-growing offence types was motor vehicle theft, with 31,551 offences recorded—an increase of 47.1 per cent compared to the previous year. While the CSA does not report specific data on knife-related crimes, Victoria Police says knife crime remains "an ongoing concern". 'Knife crime is another area of intense focus for Victoria Police, with officers removing an average of 44 blades from the hands of criminals every day this year," Acting Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations David Clayton said in an official statement . Child crime—defined as offences committed by individuals aged 10 to 17—remains at its highest level since electronic records began. Data report by CSA The Victorian Labor government has announced a series of measures to address the surge in crime. However, the state opposition argues these steps are insufficient and more action is needed. Listen to a full report on this via this podcast: SBS Punjabi 23/06/2025 10:28 🔊 Find all our podcasts and stories that matter here at SBS Punjabi Podcast Collection. 💻 For news, information and interviews in Punjabi from across Australia and the homeland, you can tune in to SBS Punjabi live from Monday to Friday at 4pm on SBS South Asian on digital radio, on channel 305 on your television, via the SBS Audio app or stream from our website . 📲 Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram .
