A woman accused of slicing her ex's hand with a large kitchen knife told police she didn't clean the blade but might have used it to continue "cutting up" an orange.
The 67-year-old allegedly poked the man in the shoulder and ribs with the blade, and lay down in front of his vehicle to stop him leaving.
Earlier this week, the woman did not enter pleas for charges of aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon and contravention of a family violence order.
In the ACT Magistrates Court, special magistrate Lucinda Wilson granted the women bail, noting she had been a law abiding citizen "for her entire life".
"It is not in your interest to be in remanded in custody given your age and health considerations," she told the woman.
"I'm really concerned ... it's not very clear to me what the mental health diagnosis are [but] to be offending in this way ... at such a late stage in your life, I am concerned about some potential early onset of dementia."
Ms Wilson noted dementia can be linked with sudden, unexplained violent behaviour.
'How do you feel now'
According to police documents, the man came to the woman's home on Saturday to care for her.
The couple had been in an on-and-off relationship for almost 20 years, the court heard.
While they were sitting in the lounge room, the man allegedly slid the woman's phone across a table and it fell on to her hand.
Police say she became hostile and started accusing the man of assaulting her. He reportedly then left the home and tried to drive away, but was unable to do so when the woman lay down in front of his vehicle.
It is said the man went back into the home with the woman, where she then took out a kitchen knife about 20 centimetres long and started poking the man in the ribs and shoulder saying "how do you feel now, what do you think now".
The woman is accused of slicing the man's knuckle with the blade, drawing blood and causing "immediate pain" to the alleged victim. The man is said to have then ran out of the house and driven to a nearby police station.
When police visited the woman's home later that day, she allegedly told officers the man had thrown his phone at her, and she had sliced his hand in order to defend herself.
Police seized the knife, and asked the woman if she had cleaned it, to which she allegedly replied "no, but I might have continued cutting up my orange with it".
Officers allege woman kept "rambling and experiencing mood swings" during the conversation. She was taken by ambulance to Canberra Hospital.
The woman's partner had already taken out an apprehended violence order against her after an incident in August, police said.
'A negative turn'
A prosecutor argued the court could have little confidence the woman would comply with bail conditions, given she had already ignored a NSW court order.
She noted the woman "clearly" had underlying mental health issue, which made her "unpredictable and vulnerable" and increased the likelihood of future offences.
Legal Aid lawyer Sam Brown said the woman had received diagnoses of depression and had been taking medication, but she disagreed with the medical opinions.
He also told the court the woman had a sleep disorder and experienced severe pain from a "relatively significant" car accident 20 years ago.
"In my opinion she's still incredibly vulnerable," he said.
"[The couple's] background and their relationship has taken a negative turn, she does not feel safe in the presence of [her partner]."
The man's adult daughters sat in the public gallery to support their father, the court heard.
Upon being granted bail, the woman told the magistrate she didn't "want to go to jail" and promised she wouldn't break her conditions.
She is due to face court again in November.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service 6280 0900; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
