Sara Jane Anderton, 40, was returned to New Zealand - separated from her parents and children - after stacking up an array of violent crimes over the Tasman, including aggravated burglary, recklessly causing injury and attempted robbery, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
She had spent a month living in a Dunedin motel in May last year, when she was informed she was to be evicted.
Anderton repeatedly told the woman she would stab and kill workers at the business using her pocket knife.
When the victim walked away, the defendant followed, punching her several times in the head.
She was arrested and bailed. Counsel Andrew Dawson said his client subsequently began living in a tent in the Town Belt, making "unsafe decisions" to make ends meet.
Two months after the motel incident, Anderton was outside Moana Pool.
A woman, unknown to her, was walking past with her young daughter, when Anderton "charged".
During the unprovoked attack, the defendant used a flick-blade pocket knife to stab the victim in her right thigh.
The wounded woman and her child fled the scene, while Anderton was restrained by an off-duty police officer.
Later, when interviewed by police, the defendant made the chilling confession she was "intending to kill someone".
The court heard psychologists had assessed Anderton to determine whether she had a defence of insanity, but her mental health did not meet that threshold.
Mr Dawson said the woman had been struggling with alcohol and drug dependency at the time of the stabbing.
Judge David Robinson highlighted the "profound" impact on the victim of the random stabbing.
The ordeal had made her constantly vigilant and had "fundamentally changed her sense of safety" in public spaces.
Anderton was classified as presenting a high risk of reoffending and of harm to others.
On charges of threatening to kill, assault with intent to injure and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, she was sentenced to three years 10 months’ imprisonment.
Anderton was also given a first-strike warning under the three-strikes regime.
