A Perth woman who performed a Nazi salute at a German security guard as she was escorted out of Connections Nightclub in July has avoided a jail term over her actions.
Last week a Perth court heard that Theresa Plunkett-Hill, 43, was asked to leave the popular LGBTIQA+ venue on July 10th because she was drunk.
Outside the venue Plunkett-Hill argued with a German security guard about her removal, when she responded to by performing a Nazi salute three times and shouting “Heil Hitler”. After police arrived she performed the same action again, and officers arrested her.
In court lawyers for Plunkett-Hill said her actions were not directed at the security guard, rather she’d made the offensive gesture out of a sense of frustration. They also said their client was unaware that laws had been introduced that made the action illegal.
The court heard that after Plunkett-Hill spoke to the media after her arrest she was let go from her job as a receptionist at an indigenous organisation. Her legal team also told the court that their client suffered from ADHD and a lack of impulse control which led to her offending.
In sentencing Plunkett-Hill Chief Magistrate Steven Heath said he appreciated that she was neither a member of a neo-Nazi group, nor were actions motivated by a desire to be provocative to Jewish people. He said her actions were a “silly reaction”.
She was fined $1,000 and given a spent conviction. The maximum penalty for the offence is 5 years in prison.
