- A young female jockey was accused of stabbing her former roommate
- A dispute broke out over alleged stolen items
- A court heard how blunt scissors were allegedly used
A young female jockey trainee considered a rising star in the sport has been accused of stabbing her former roommate in the back during a fight over allegedly stolen kitchen items.
Sariah Skye Champkin, 23, faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court last Friday on one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm while armed or in company, as well as one count of wilful damage after allegedly stabbing another person with a pair of blunt scissors.
She also allegedly caused damage to another former roommate’s vehicle.
Champkin has pleaded not guilty to two charges relating to the incident, which involved three people from the Toowoomba racing industry.
The court heard that on March 6, 2024, Champkin asked her then-roommates to vacate a shared property with immediate effect after finding kitchen items belonging to her in a box.
The three roommates were in the process of moving out, but had set a departure date of Mach 8, 2024.
When the roommates returned to the home, Champkin confronted one of them about the alleged stolen items, which included a shredded cheese board, a cutting board, $200 in cash and an air fryer, when the other roommate intervened.
Both former roommates admitted to stealing, but denied taking any of the items mentioned.
Rising star jockey Sariah Skye Champkin (pictured, right) has been accused of stabbing a former roommate in the back.
A court heard Champkin was angry about the alleged theft of kitchen items when the attack she is accused of occurred.
The court heard that a fight then broke out between the 23-year-old and one of her roommates, with the two women throwing punches at each other.
Champkin then allegedly pulled out a pair of dull scissors, used for shearing horses, and threatened her.
Nick Pratt, a police prosecutor, said Champkin threw the first two punches, allegedly hitting his former roommate in the face, before stabbing her in the back of the head with the scissors, leaving a small red mark and a puncture wound.
“It turned into a fight. Ms. Champkin ended the fight by stabbing her in the back with a pair of scissors and then putting the scissors to her throat,” Pratt said.
“She had the opportunity to effectively remove herself from the situation. There was no need to use that force.”
Defense attorney David Jones KC argued that Champkin never held the scissors to the alleged victim’s throat and simply pressed them against her neck to end the confrontation.
Champkin also admitted to verbally threatening his former roommate, but denied stabbing her.
“I pushed the scissors while they were closed into the back of his neck,” Champkin said in his testimony.
‘I felt like I had no choice.
‘I just wanted to get out of the situation.
“I was scared and nervous. I had never been in a situation like this before.”
Champkin was also accused of damaging a vehicle used by her former roommate. She allegedly threw a tall mirror and two wooden nightstands over the property’s fence, allegedly striking the vehicle.
However, Mr Jones argued that it was impossible to throw the objects over the 2-metre-high fence towards the car, which was about 3-5 metres away, due to Champkin’s small size.
Judge Lisa O’Neill has set a trial date for July 26 at the same court.
