Douglas Nigel Roberts assaulted the police officers in January after he was refused bail for a domestic violence matter. 

His ex-partner sobbed in the courtroom as Roberts was given a suspended jail sentence of 18 months for the assault against police and 300 hours of community service for the assault against the woman and a breach of an apprehended violence order. 

Police prosecutor Sergeant Andy Bobin argued the 32-year-old should be given a full-time sentence to send a clear message to the community about the seriousness of domestic violence. 

“He has a long list of violence ... entries of previous assaults against the same alleged victim,” he said. 

Sergeant Bobin said Roberts and the female officer were lucky that the offficer did not lose any teeth during the incident.

Roberts’ solicitor Matthew Savage said his client had suffered from a “psychotic state” at the time of the attack within the courtroom and had since resumed taking medication. 

He said, with help from the court, his client could return to being a contributing member of society. 

Roberts’ ex-partner intended to move to an address unknown to the offender and away from the offender’s Katoa Place residence. 

“It was a mild domestic dispute ... both parties had been drinking and it was a push and shove incident,” Mr Savage said. 

The magistrate, Terry Lucas, said the assault against police was made all the more serious because it happened inside the courtroom, but the assault against his ex-partner was “no less serious”.

He took into account the three-and-a-half months Roberts had already spent in jail.

Mr Lucas told Roberts the main reasons he did not send him to jail for the next 18 months were because the officer had not sustained any lasting injuries, he wrote a letter of apology to the court and to police and he had pleaded guilty.