A WOMAN who spent eight months behind bars accused of shooting a man during a terrifying home invasion at Gateshead pleads guilty to a lesser charge and is convicted with no further penalty.
Two men, who until as recently as last week were denying any involvement or knowledge of another shooting at Muswellbrook, step forward and take a plea deal.
Others, charged with massive drug importation, armed robbery, causing fatal crashes and even more shootings, refuse to budge.
Welcome to Newcastle District Court's super callover, where defended criminal matters are funnelled into a list, negotiations are encouraged and deals are done to reduce the backlog of criminal trials.
In the past these super callovers in Newcastle have managed to entice guilty pleas out of hundreds of defendants and clear just as many trials, creating space for more trials to fill the void.
On Wednesday, it was Sarah Winwood's turn.
Those charges were dropped, she was granted bail and she was charged with hindering the discovery of evidence after police said she destroyed a black jacket linked to the shooting.
She pleaded not guilty to that charge and was expected to face a trial in May next year.
But her matter was sucked into the super callover and on Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to concealing the shooting from police.
Winwood's barrister, Public Defender Peter Krisenthal, said she should be convicted with no further penalty imposed and she was dealt with on the spot, the five-day trial date next year vacated to, no doubt, make room for another matter.
Judge Roy Ellis took into account the time she had spent behind bars and the fact she was in a toxic relationship with one of the shooters, which he said provided some explanation as to why she didn't turn him in to police.
The pair were promptly funneled into the super callover list and on Wednesday, after negotiations between prosecutors and defence, admitted to being involved.
Kimber pleaded guilty to firing a firearm in a manner likely to injure and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to a man in Anzac Parade on June 27, 2022, while Carpenter admitted to hindering the discovery of evidence by hiding the firearm and a shell casing.
Kimber did not have his bail revoked after pleading guilty, but Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton said that should not be viewed as "reflective of the prosecution's position on sentence".
The pair will be sentenced in March.
The super callover continues.
