Woman who brutally scalped a pregnant officer and spared jail shares bizarre message outside court

An anti-vax mother-of-four from Adelaide brutally scalped a pregnant police officer during a brawl outside a pub but will not spend a single day in jail, sparking a furious response.

Raina Jane Cruise, 39, was given a two-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of the brutal attack which saw a huge swath of the officer’s hair ripped out.

But Cruise was brazen outside the Adelaide court and instead issued a bizarre warning to her victim, officer Anthea Beck.

“Yes, I would say don’t vaccinate your daughter,” Cruise told media at the courthouse.

Now South Australia’s acting police commissioner, Linda Williams, has rejected the decision to let her walk free after the cowardly attack.

She has demanded an urgent appeal against the verdict, saying she wants Cruise behind bars over the brutal attack.

“The suspended sentence is not in line with the community standard and has upset core police officers,” Williams said.

“I have asked our prosecution team to investigate the sentencing comments and initiate a discussion with the DPP with a view to appealing the outcome.

Raina Jane Cruise, 39, (pictured) was given a two-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of the brutal attack

The court heard Cruise carried out a violent attack on Constable Anthea Beck outside the Exeter Hotel in Adelaide, leaving the officer with a large section of hair torn from her scalp (pictured)

‘In an environment where attacks on police are on the rise, a suspended sentence in this case simply sends the wrong message and is completely unacceptable.’

She added: ‘Potential offenders should know that if they attack an emergency worker there will be serious consequences, and they can expect a custodial sentence, as the legislation allows.

“And police officers who put themselves at risk on every shift they work need to know they have the full support of the justice system.

“The suspended sentence imposed on Raina Jane Cruise, who was found guilty of a violent, sustained and cowardly attack on a female officer, has not met any of these basic expectations.”

Cruise describes himself as a naturopath and homeopath. Earlier the same evening, Cruise also attacked two security guards at the Exeter Hotel on Rundle Street in Adelaide.

The court heard Cruise was heavily intoxicated after attending a freedom rally in October 2021 but was kicked out of the venue following an argument over mask mandates.

Her first victims were two hotel security guards she admitted to attacking when she appeared in court on December 4, grabbing one by the windpipe and punching him in the throat.

The court heard she punched the other guard on the head.

Cruise and the two men she left the venue with were stopped by Beck and another police officer who were investigating the attacks on the guards.

Cruise was heavily drunk during the night out

Acting Police Commissioner Linda Williams has rejected the decision to let Cruise walk free

Raina Cruise (pictured) was brazen outside the Adelaide court and instead issued a bizarre warning to her victim, officer Anthea Beck

Prosecutors said Cruise compared police to Nazi Germany before “detaining Officer Beck” and dragging her to the ground.

The court was told Cruise pulled Constable Beck’s hair and slammed the officer’s head into the pavement as she shouted: “I’m going to beat you one-on-one, you son of a bitch.”

Constable Beck, who did not know she was pregnant at the time, admitted in court that she punched Cruise twice during the attack.

“She has a handful of my hair, she has control of my head, she’s jerking me around and it hurts, she’s on top of me and I can’t get out,” Officer Beck said.

‘I lost control of the situation, I was afraid for my safety – I was very scared – because I had a person sitting quite heavily on me.

“I’m alone, no one is coming, I have to get out of this situation because how many times am I going to let her hit the back of my head on the sidewalk?”

Beck suffered multiple injuries during the altercation, including two large pieces of hair torn from her scalp.

The officer later provided a victim impact statement after later discovering she was pregnant at the time of the incident.

Cruise, a vocal anti-vaxxer, posed for a bizarre photo in a bra made from Covid masks

The court was told Cruise yanked Constable Beck’s hair and knocked the officer’s head off the pavement as she shouted: ‘I’m going to hit you one-on-one, you son of a bitch’

Officer Anthea Beck suffered multiple injuries during the altercation, including two large pieces of hair torn from her scalp

“When you kicked me, you kicked my baby. I can’t think about my pregnancy without thinking about you,” Beck said in her statement.

“So caught up in yourself that you couldn’t see me for who I am. I am a woman, a mother like you. I would have listened to you.’

Cruise was found guilty of causing harm to Constable Beck with intent after denying the charge in court. The incident violated a previous two-year obligation of good behavior.

District Court Judge Joanne Deuter said Cruise was “significantly intoxicated” but that did not excuse her “violent” behavior.

“I accept that you have a problem with your behavior after drinking alcohol and that you were particularly agitated after attending an anti-vaccination meeting,” Judge Deuter said.

“However, that is not and should never be an excuse for the failure of someone who is simply doing their job.”

She added: “Your resentment of the government’s vaccination policy came to the fore when police questioned you.

“You wrongly took your anger out on the police.”

Judge Deuter jailed Cruise for three years and eight months with a non-parole period of two years, but suspended him for three years for good behavior.

It includes 100 hours of community service and a ban on alcohol consumption.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has 21 days to appeal.