Alleged Box-Cutter Knife‑Threat Case Put Back To September As Prosecutor Struggles With The Facts

By Alric Lindsay

A case in which Sophia Relean Hanson was alleged to have gone onto a property on Eureka Drive while armed with a box cutter knife was adjourned to September 2026 for a pre‑sentencing report, after Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions struggled to set out the facts in court.  The Chief Magistrate also reversed Hanson’s guilty plea on another charge when a witness indicated she would not support the prosecution on the matter.  That charge was withdrawn.

The Crown’s case

DPP Crown Counsel, Andre Wedderburn, told the court that the offences were allegedly committed at a property on Eureka Drive on June 8, 2025, where a complainant reported that Hanson was at the property threatening a man and, during the confrontation, accused the man of taking her phone.

When the complainant arrived at the scene, she allegedly found Hanson and the man in a verbal confrontation on the property.  Allegedly, Hanson had a box cutter knife in her hand.

DPP Crown Counsel appeared to have difficulty presenting the facts, at one point seemingly unable to find his way through the file; the account of DPP Crown Counsel himself was described in court as the file not being  “helpful  at all.” Rather than proceed on that footing, the Chief Magistrate indicated that DPP Crown Counsel could set out the facts again at the next hearing, adding, “by that time you can start with the facts again.”

The outcome

The Chief Magistrate ordered a pre‑sentencing report and adjourned the matter to September 21, 2026 so that report could be prepared and the facts properly presented.

The Chief Magistrate also reminded Hanson about appropriate court attire after she appeared in shorts; Hanson said she had come to court the same day as a medical appointment and was arranging what she described as high‑risk surgery.