A Wollongong magistrate has delivered a stern rebuke to a 58-year-old woman, telling her she was "too old" for violent behaviour after she assaulted a lifelong friend at a local service station.
Violent altercation at the petrol bowsers
Julie Mook, of Warrawong, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Wollongong Local Court on December 2, 2025. The court heard the incident unfolded on the afternoon of October 23 at the Caltex service station in Warrawong.
The victim was sitting outside, drinking a coffee, when Mook approached her. Without warning, Mook began swinging her handbag, striking the woman on the head. The situation quickly escalated when Mook grabbed her friend of four decades by her ponytail, shoved her to the ground, and then dragged her approximately three metres across the concrete forecourt by her hair.
A bystander intervened to separate the pair, at which point Mook issued a chilling threat: "If I see you again, you're dead." She walked away briefly, only to return and grab the victim's hair a second time, continuing the assault.
Magistrate's blunt assessment and sentence
When police arrived, they found the victim with a split lip, bruised knees, and bleeding cuts on her neck. Mook was later identified on CCTV footage from the service station. Magistrate David Williams did not mince words during sentencing.
"Normally for this kind of violence, people go to jail ... you need to do better," Magistrate Williams stated. He noted that Mook was "too old" for such "childish" conduct and needed to start acting her age.
Mook's solicitor, Stewart Holt, explained to the court that the violence stemmed from a breakdown in a personal arrangement. Mook had tried to help her friend, who was experiencing homelessness, by organising temporary accommodation with another acquaintance. When that arrangement "went wrong," Mook became "really angry and embarrassed."
"She lost her temper and accepts responsibility for the stupid mistake she made," Mr Holt said.
Outcome and community order
Taking into account her guilty plea and expression of remorse, the magistrate opted against a custodial sentence. Julie Mook was fined $500 and placed on a nine-month community correction order. This order will require her to be of good behaviour and under supervision in the community.
The case serves as a stark reminder that violent conduct, regardless of age or personal provocation, carries serious legal consequences in New South Wales.
