A masters student has faced court accused of slashing her boyfriend with knives in a furious rage after finding out he had been sending messages to his ex.
University of Technology Sydney postgraduate student Jacinta Angel Ferraro allegedly attacked her boyfriend with two kitchen knives at his western Sydney home in Parramatta shortly after 7pm on June 9.
The alleged attack occurred after Ferraro went through his phone and uncovered texts between him and his ex-partner from a fortnight earlier, Supreme Court documents state.
‘The defendant picked up two kitchen knives, a serrated bread knife with a 19cm blade and a paring knife with an 11cm blade,’ police allege.
‘The [man] put his hands up while the defendant was advancing towards him with a knife in either hand’.
Police allege Ferraro raised the knives and slashed at her boyfriend, causing deep lacerations down to the bone of his arm and to his pinky finger.
Ferraro then allegedly threw several items at her boyfriend and hurled a PlayStation 4 games console and an internet router over the balcony.
The alleged victim was taken to hospital by friends, where he underwent surgery.
Masters student Jacinta Angel Ferraro (pictured) allegedly attacked her boyfriend with two kitchen knives
Hospital staff contacted police the next day, who searched the man’s unit and found dried blood on the floor and bloodstained knives
Ferraro was arrested in Woollahra in Sydney’s east.
She was charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging property.
All three charges are domestic violence offences.
Police allege Ferraro, who has not entered pleas, stated she inflicted the injuries on her boyfriend an act act of self-defence.
However, she refused to elaborate further and wouldn’t participate in a recorded interview.
After being refused bail by police and a local court magistrate, it was granted by the Supreme Court last week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The Crown’s written submission opposed bail arguing it would be a ‘serious and unacceptable risk of harm to the community and to the complainant’.
Ferraro is also accused of throwing things at her boyfriend. She also allegedly hurled his PlayStation 4 games console and an internet router over a balcony
‘The applicant appears to display a propensity toward violent and aggressive behaviour,’ the Crown told the court.
Ferraro’s defence lawyer Kon Papanicolaou submitted that the boyfriend’s injury was ‘not severe, being a cut to the victim’s right pinky finger which caused a deep laceration’.
‘On instructions received from the applicant, she had locked herself in the bathroom and the victim attempted to gain entry,’ Mr Papanicolaou wrote.
‘This is to be corroborated by the bathroom door being punched and a hole in the bathroom door … There is the prospect of self-defence being raised.’
Mr Papanicolaou also said pre-existing mental health conditions might make a custodial sentence inappropriate and said the long delays currently bedeviling the legal system could make any time custody awaiting trial ‘a heavy burden’.
Ferraro has been diagnosed with complex ADHD, anxiety and bipolar disorder.
Justice Hament Dhanji granted Ferraro bail but placed strict conditions.
She must report daily to police, surrender her passport, obey a 6pm-9am curfew while living with her mother, abstain from drugs and alcohol and get a medical mental healthcare plan.
Ferraro must also abide by the apprehended violence order in place preventing her from contacting the alleged victim.
Jacinta Angel Ferraro was recently freed on bail and will reappear in court later this month
Ferraro is yet to pleas to any of the charges and is scheduled to next face court on September 26.
On her Instagram bio, Ferraro states she is studying a masters of social enterprise & not4profit.
Her most recent post shows her attending a rave featuring electronic dance music duo Showtek on June 10 – hours after the alleged attack.
She’s also president of the student-run UTS Events Society and has been a DJ at several events under the name Angelic Delight.
‘I’ve been detached from my emotions mentally and focused on the love for music only,’ she wrote in a post earlier this year.
