Ex-nurse accused of hate crime avoids conviction
A controversial former nurse who was accused of a hate crime at a pro-Palestine rally has avoided conviction over the incident.
Jennifer May Scott, 37, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday facing charges of disorderly behaviour, resisting police and failing to remain stopped.
Prosecutor Sergeant Simon Reay, though, confirmed Scott had completed diversion on the latter charge and the other counts were withdrawn.
The police diversion scheme allows predominantly young or first-time offenders to make amends for their crimes — sometimes by making a reparation payment, writing an apology letter, attending counselling or completing voluntary work — to avoid a mark on their criminal record.
However, Scott already has a conviction for intentional damage from 2023 after spray-painting explicit phrases on an ex-boyfriend's ute.
The terms of her recent diversion were not discussed in open court.
The charges stemmed from an incident on June 1 last year when Scott was allegedly driving in the Octagon.
She was accused of filming pro-Palestine protesters with her phone and yelling "Palestine rapes and murders babies. Palestine isn't a country".
Scott allegedly ignored police instructions in the aftermath and resisted officers trying to handcuff her.
Yesterday's withdrawal of charges was a rare win for Scott after last year was littered with setbacks.
The woman, who has called herself "Terf [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] of the South" online, courted controversy in August after setting up an online fundraising page, complete with a photo of her and her partner, claiming they were homeless and needed money for a campervan.
The partner was identified as a double-murderer formally known as Gresham Marsh and Corrections confirmed he had a home and was being "closely managed".
The photo and all reference to him was subsequently removed from the web page.
The following month, after a hearing Scott failed to attend, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal cancelled her nursing registration.
The ruling pointed to her spreading of vaccine disinformation and repeated episodes of transphobia as reasons for the decision.
Tribunal chairwoman Theo Baker said the misconduct brought discredit to the profession and was "sufficiently serious to warrant a disciplinary sanction".
Scott was also ordered to pay costs of more than $45,000.
Then in October, she was on the wrong end of a decision by the Tenancy Tribunal.
Ms Scott made "wide-ranging claims" including assault, unlawful entry, breaches around storage, withholding of goods and breach of privacy after being evicted from a Macandrew Bay property.
But adjudicator Rex Woodhouse said the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear her case because she was a "squatter" and it was therefore not a dispute between tenant and landlord.
The house had been sold earlier in the year and the tribunal issued a possession order in favour of the new owners.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz, Court reporter
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Otago Daily Times
21 hours ago
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Ex-nurse accused of hate crime avoids conviction
A controversial former nurse who was accused of a hate crime at a pro-Palestine rally has avoided conviction over the incident. Jennifer May Scott, 37, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday facing charges of disorderly behaviour, resisting police and failing to remain stopped. Prosecutor Sergeant Simon Reay, though, confirmed Scott had completed diversion on the latter charge and the other counts were withdrawn. The police diversion scheme allows predominantly young or first-time offenders to make amends for their crimes — sometimes by making a reparation payment, writing an apology letter, attending counselling or completing voluntary work — to avoid a mark on their criminal record. However, Scott already has a conviction for intentional damage from 2023 after spray-painting explicit phrases on an ex-boyfriend's ute. The terms of her recent diversion were not discussed in open court. The charges stemmed from an incident on June 1 last year when Scott was allegedly driving in the Octagon. She was accused of filming pro-Palestine protesters with her phone and yelling "Palestine rapes and murders babies. Palestine isn't a country". Scott allegedly ignored police instructions in the aftermath and resisted officers trying to handcuff her. Yesterday's withdrawal of charges was a rare win for Scott after last year was littered with setbacks. The woman, who has called herself "Terf [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] of the South" online, courted controversy in August after setting up an online fundraising page, complete with a photo of her and her partner, claiming they were homeless and needed money for a campervan. The partner was identified as a double-murderer formally known as Gresham Marsh and Corrections confirmed he had a home and was being "closely managed". The photo and all reference to him was subsequently removed from the web page. The following month, after a hearing Scott failed to attend, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal cancelled her nursing registration. The ruling pointed to her spreading of vaccine disinformation and repeated episodes of transphobia as reasons for the decision. Tribunal chairwoman Theo Baker said the misconduct brought discredit to the profession and was "sufficiently serious to warrant a disciplinary sanction". Scott was also ordered to pay costs of more than $45,000. Then in October, she was on the wrong end of a decision by the Tenancy Tribunal. Ms Scott made "wide-ranging claims" including assault, unlawful entry, breaches around storage, withholding of goods and breach of privacy after being evicted from a Macandrew Bay property. But adjudicator Rex Woodhouse said the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear her case because she was a "squatter" and it was therefore not a dispute between tenant and landlord. The house had been sold earlier in the year and the tribunal issued a possession order in favour of the new owners. Court reporter
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