An Australian woman described as "a marriage celebrant, self-styled witch and alternative therapies practitioner" was sentenced to two months in jail this week for an incident in which she drove away from a traffic stop with a policeman's arm caught in her car window. The policeman, Andrew Logan, suffered arm and shoulder injuries after being dragged for about 200 meters.
According to Logan, he stopped Eilish De'Avalon after seeing her talking on her cellphone while driving. When he asked for her license, she said she didn't need one because she was from another world and so earthly rules did not apply. "Your laws and penalties don't apply to me," she said. "I'm not accepting them, I'm sorry, I must go, thank you," and away she went, with Logan hanging on for dear life. He managed to grab the keys when she slowed down to turn a corner.
De'Avalon's website doesn't explain how this legal immunity works, although it might be in the terms and conditions and who reads those? She also doesn't use the word "witch," but I am guessing that "ordained, initiated pagan priestess" is more or less the same thing. Among other things, she says she can perform weddings, give massages, anoint your chakras, fix your chi, talk to spirits, remove "200,000 year old Jehovian seals" and candle your ears well enough to drag out "entities" along with the ear wax.
She also seems to be pretty good at rolling her car window up in a hurry.
Noting that De'Avalon had a number of prior convictions for dangerous driving, and this time had injured a policeman, the judge said that a message had to be sent that such behavior was unacceptable. In addition to the jail time, De'Avalon lost her license for a year and was fined. This was despite the fact that, according to a psychiatrist who testified in court, De'Avalon had expressed remorse and even offered Logan "spiritual healing and a massage" hoping to make amends. (Surprisingly, he declined.)
After being sentenced and ordered into custody, De'Avalon appeared to be sticking by her pagan-immunity theory even in the face of this pretty solid evidence that human laws do in fact apply to her. "I decline your offer, your Honour," she said as she was being led away. Maybe on her plane of existence, jail terms are just a suggestion. But here, the judge reminded her, "I'm afraid it's not negotiable."
