Ottawa

The demure Senate spouse who calmly pleaded guilty to mischief and a weapons charge Tuesday is a far cry from the howling, hissing hooligan who got the Hannibal Lecter treatment after kicking out a cop cruiser's window in August 2014.

The court appearance, of course, was old hat for Maygan Sensenberger, the 26-year-old wife of former Liberal Senator Rod Zimmer, who joined her in court just as he had in Saskatoon when she copped to a much-publicized 2012 air rage incident.

Then, as now, Sensenberger escaped with probation; she got a suspended sentence for the cruiser incident and for brandishing a pair of kitchen knives in the general direction of two coppers, who arrested her at gunpoint in February.

"You could have been killed in that incident," Judge Robert Wadden told her.

With Zimmer and her mother by her side, Sensenberger sat mute as the Crown read out the facts in support of her guilty pleas.

On Aug, 12, 2014 some kind of altercation with medical staff -- that defence lawyer Paolo Giancaterino said his client does not admit to -- prompted police to arrest her.

It was an experience she did not appear to enjoy.

Placed in the back of a cruiser she kicked out a rear window, whereupon she was taken to hospital and placed in full-body mesh "for the safety of herself and others," the court heard.

With charges from that encounter still looming -- all but the mischief rap would be withdrawn -- she got into another scrape with the cops on Feb. 22, this time at the couple's matrimonial home in Rockcliffe.

Zimmer, the court heard, had fallen down some stairs; Sensenberger, redolent with booze, assailed paramedics and police with unparliamentary language when they arrived.

The cops, she said "need to f--- off and leave the house," the court heard.

She made her point by slamming a kitchen door in a cop's face so hard the door broke.

When police returned to inquire about a missed court date for the August 2014 affair, she greeted them with a pair of kitchen knives.

Though the blades were pointed downwards, the court heard an officer drew his sidearm, "fearing for his life."

From then on she went quietly.

The court heard she'd been on a bender starting the night before and carrying on through the morning -- a violation of her release conditions to which she also pleaded guilty Tuesday.

She told the court she's been off the sauce since a subsequent and successful stint in rehab.

"I intend to stay in recovery," Sensenberger said. "I apologize for my actions."

Wadden agreed to impose the penalty jointly recommended by Crown and defence lawyers: A suspended sentence and 15 months of probation.

Giancaterino told the Sun the position shows Sensenberger is no public menace.

"She's worked really hard to take the necessary steps to deal with her issues," he said. "(She) is looking forward to resuming her normal life."

Timeline:

August 2011: Maygan Sensenberger, then 22, marries 68-year-old Liberal Senator Rod Zimmer.

Aug. 23, 2012: Sensenberger is arrested after an Ottawa-to-Saskatoon Air Canada flight. A charge of threatening to slit Zimmer's throat would soon be dropped and she pleaded guilty in September 2012 to a single count of causing a disturbance on a plane. She got a suspended sentence and one year of probation as well as an order to take alcohol addiction counselling. Husband and wife exchanged a kiss on their way out of the Saskatoon courthouse.

August 2013: Sensenberger stars as "The Candy Doll" in a 2 1/2-minute short film. "Throw out your girlfriend and replace her with Candy," the voiceover urges. "Candy knows a dozen words and 150 sexual positions." The short film, which is really more of a spoof commercial, has nearly 50,000 views on Youtube.

August 2014: Court documents allege she attacked two women with a hand-held fan and a lit cigarette at an Ottawa medical facility. Those charges get withdrawn, but she ultimately pleaded guilty to mischief Tuesday for kicking out the window of a cop cruiser following her arrest.

Feb. 22, 2015: Sensenberger screams abuse at police and paramedics who show up at her Rockcliffe home to check on her husband, who fell down some stairs. When cops return to suggest she failed to appear for a court date relating to the events of August 2014, they find her holding two knives at arrest her at gunpoint. She pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and for breaching a no alcohol condition. She apologizes to the court and says she's been dry for months.

Twitter: @ottawasuntonys