Sydney socialite Vanessa Jacobs Fennell crashed Range Rover, assaulted police officer
Vanessa Jacobs Fennell, 55, refused a breath test and then crashed her luxury Range Rover into a parked Tesla before assaulting a police officer in Bellevue Hill in Sydney's east on March 21.
It is understood bystanders had called police shortly after Fennell was stopped by a good Samaritan who informed her that her car was damaged and had two flat tyres.
She was then uncooperative when police arrived, police allege.
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 to all four charges.
She looked glamorous as she attended Waverley Local Court on Tuesday, sporting a brown trench coat and heeled boots.
The 55-year-old was listed for sentencing, however, her matter was again delayed, and submissions by both the prosecution and Fennell's lawyer Helen Christinson were instead heard.
She is seeking to have the matters dealt with under mental health provisions of the law, or a section 14 application.
In the defence's submissions the court was told Fennell had experienced 'some stresses' towards the end of last year, as well as experienced dissociation and in general had 'difficulty coping'.
She was prescribed antidepressants just three days prior to the incident, the defence said, which had caused 'adverse reactions and confusion', as well as contributed to 'increased intoxication'.
'The recent stresses, her mental health, the commencement of medication and alcohol combined leads to this egregious decision making which is highly uncharacteristic for this woman,' they said.
While they concede it was 'extraordinary conduct', the defence reminded the court it was the first offending of this kind and the socialite had no prior criminal history.
However, the prosecution argued the 'serious' offences should be dealt with according to the law via either a conditional release order or a community corrections order while incorporating an ongoing treatment plan.
This would give the community 'greater comfort', they argued.
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 next appear in court on August 25.
Her bail is to continue.
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ABC News
9 minutes ago
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'Support for racism': NT Police officer's Thin Blue Line symbol triggers ban
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Sergeant Bauwens uploaded the controversial Thin Blue Line flag as his Facebook cover image in February 2022, the day Mr Rolfe's murder trial began over the shooting death. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all charges. The black-and-white image of the Australian flag with a blue line running horizontally through the middle has come to be associated with far-right extremism, according to academic Kaz Ross. "This is a very, very politicised, racially charged image," Dr Ross told the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Team. "In the context of inquiries into police racism in the Northern Territory, it's a very unacceptable thing to be displaying." A day after the ABC made inquiries to the NT Police, an email was sent out to staff telling them to take "immediate steps to ensure that the 'Thin Blue Line' patch is not used on any NTPF uniforms, equipment, stations, vehicles and property". 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"It's absolutely shocking that someone in such a senior position was indicating on their social media, publicly associated with their name, that they believe in the concept of the Thin Blue Line." The move to ban the symbol comes just weeks after NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found the Alice Springs Police Station — where Mr Rolfe and Sergeant Bauwens were stationed — normalised and "tacitly endorsed" racism, and that the Northern Territory Police Force as an organisation bore "significant hallmarks of institutional racism". She found Zachary Rolfe — who described Sergeant Bauwens "as a mentor or someone he looked up to" — held "racist attitudes" and displayed a pattern of excessive force against Aboriginal men for which his superiors, including Sergeant Bauwens, failed to hold him to account. Mr Rolfe has rejected the coroner's findings and is considering an appeal. The inquest also revealed Sergeant Bauwens used overtly racist language, calling Aboriginal people "bush c*ons" in a text message to Mr Rolfe four months before Kumanjayi Walker's death. This conflicted with evidence Sergeant Bauwens gave the coroner in April 2024 in which he claimed the word "c*on" was not used by frontline members. "As a General duties Sgt for 8 years from 2014 to 2022 those terms or words were not used to my knowledge," he said in the statement. Sergeant Bauwens also acknowledged in his evidence he had taken part in the now infamous racist awards at the Territory Response Group's (TRG) Christmas parties. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage described the so-called Noogadah awards as "among the most grotesque examples of racism uncovered at the inquest". One of the awards, for "the most c*on-like behaviour", Sergeant Bauwens acknowledged was "inappropriate" and "unacceptable". 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In a statement, Victoria Police told the ABC "the Thin Blue Line patches are currently not approved for wear by Victoria Police officers", while NSW Police said its policy "prohibits the use of non-authorised embellishments on uniforms". Queensland Police told the ABC the symbol is also not an approved part of the uniform, and that while the origins of the concept were meant to be supportive of police, "there are concerns that its message has been misused to advance unrelated agendas". Some police forces across the United States and Canada have reportedly also banned their officers from wearing Thin Blue Line patches, citing their association with white nationalist groups. Dr Kaz Ross said she has noticed the Australian version of the symbol posted in the private Facebook groups of serving and former police officers. 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This recommendation was ignored until last week when the ABC emailed NT Police. Arrernte man Nick Espie — who is a former legal director and special counsel at the Human Rights Law Centre — told the ABC it is a shame the NTPF had not acted on this earlier. "Much more needs to be done to address the inherent risks of racism that occur within the police force," Mr Espie said. "The police need to shift towards being an anti-racist organisation and developing an anti-racism strategy that covers all aspects of policy, procedure and operation." Last month the Executive Director of the NT Police's Community Resilience and Engagement Command, Leanne Liddle, said the NT Police Force is working on a "dedicated anti-racism strategy which is now in its final stages". After the Walker inquest findings were handed down in July, Acting NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said "all forms of racism" have existed within the force at various times. "That is confronting. But it is a truth that we must face," he said. "What was tolerated in the past will no longer be acceptable. We are committed to stamping out racism in all its forms, and making this a safer, fairer organisation for everybody." NT Police did not respond to the ABC's specific questions about racism within the force. "Regarding the use of symbols, patches, or other public displays, the NTPF maintains strict social media and conduct guidelines for all officers, aimed at preventing behaviour that could undermine public trust or contribute to divisiveness," it said in a statement. "We continually review these guidelines to ensure they align with our values of professionalism and respect."
ABC News
11 minutes ago
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Victorian childcare worker retains Working with Children Check despite being blacklisted
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News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Former AFL player reportedly tested positive to performance enhancing substance
A former AFL player reportedly tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance while playing in a lower-level competition following the end of his professional career. The player, who finished his AFL career in 2023, has this year been placed under provisional suspension, per Code Sports. It's understood the player tested positive while playing in a lower-level league last year, and despite having put an end to his professional career by that stage, could still be tested under the AFL's Anti-Doping Code within 12 months of his AFL exit. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The report elected not to name the player in question. The player's test was undertaken by Sport Integrity Australia; the governing body, formerly known as ASADA, which aims to preserve fairness at all levels of Australian sport. Under the AFL Anti-Doping Code, if a player intentionally takes a prohibited substance to gain an advantage, they are subject to a maximum ban of four years. Local leagues, including the state competitions, are held to the same rules. In late 2024, ex-Melbourne player Joel Smith was suspended four years by SIA for cocaine use and trafficking after turning up a positive result on a matchday test in August 2023. But unlike Smith's circumstances, Niall reports the unnamed player in question's alleged breach was 'for a substance that is banned both in and outside the competition'. He noted also that positive results for performance-enhancing drugs were 'extremely rare' in the AFL, as cases of positive tests for illicit substances are more common. Then-Collingwood players Josh Thomas and Lachie Keeffe copped two-year bans in 2015 after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The 'Essendon 34' that were banned for the 2016 season after four years' worth of investigation did not return positive tests for a banned substance but rather were suspended on circumstantial evidence they were administered with a banned substance.
