Woman Who Spent 8.5 Months In Jail Seeks Release On Time Served After Assault, Purse Snatching & Spitting At Police

By Alric Lindsay

A 40-year-old woman who has spent eight and a half months behind bars is asking to be released on time served after admitting to a string of offences across George Town, including snatching a customer’s iPhone, pulling a store worker’s hair, and spitting on police officers.

Tekeisha Ruth Hurlston appeared via video link from the Fairbanks Detention Centre before Magistrate McFarlane in the Summary Court today, November 11, for a lengthy sentencing hearing covering three separate case files.

Crown Counsel Andre Wedderburn detailed the facts of the cases, beginning with an early-morning theft on September 16, 2025, along Greenwood Drive. Around 6:03 a.m., Hurlston approached a woman, asked for money, and grabbed her handbag, removing cash from her purse. While prosecutors stated Hurlston slapped the woman across the face, defence attorney Lauren Miranda clarified that Hurlston’s guilty plea to common assault was entered on the basis of a push that left the victim with a headache. The incident was caught on CCTV.

In a separate incident, Hurlston approached a front passenger window of a vehicle to ask for money, sparking a struggle before fleeing when police arrived. After initially calming down, she became abusive, called an acting sergeant an expletive, kicked the officer, and spat at a second acting sergeant while threatening, “I will buss a shot in your skull.”

The most recent offences occurred on February 19, 2026, while Hurlston was out on police bail. Around 4:40 p.m., she entered the Baby Express shop on Mary Street, asked a shopper to pay for an item, and grabbed an iPhone from the woman’s back pocket. When the victim shouted for help, a store employee locked the front door. Hurlston grabbed the worker’s hair while demanding to be let out and threw the phone onto the ground. Once placed in a police cruiser, she banged on the window, cursed, and shouted xenophobic remarks at a female officer, telling her, “Stupid policewoman, you need to go back to Jamaica.”

Prosecutors noted that the repeated assault at the store fell into the higher culpability bracket for assault causing actual bodily harm, which carries a 12-month starting point, and emphasized that spitting at officers placed her disorderly conduct in the high culpability range.

In mitigation, Miranda told the court that Hurlston’s criminal record only began in 2020 during a severe struggle with substance addiction and mental health challenges, noting she was under the influence and experiencing withdrawal at the time of the offences. Miranda questioned whether the stolen 2007-model iPhone was worth the $800 value cited by prosecutors and pointed out that no evidence of actual repair costs was provided for the phone.

Highlighting that Hurlston has remained drug-free for nine months while on remand and already served 252 days—or eight and a half months—in custody, Miranda urged the court to release her on time served, noting that probation officers have arranged housing and are coordinating with the Needs Assessment Unit.

However, Magistrate McFarlane expressed hesitation about releasing Hurlston immediately without a firm support plan in place. Pointing out that Hurlston had previously refused treatment and that her social inquiry report stressed the need for structured intervention, the Magistrate said she was concerned about returning her directly to society.

Magistrate McFarlane adjourned the matter until Friday, November 13, at 2:00 p.m. to deliver her sentencing decision.