A passenger abused and assaulted a police officer after the car he was travelling in was stopped for a random breath test.
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Joseph Richard Parsons of East Orange, was charged with using offensive language in a public place, assaulting a police officer as well as driving while never licensed from a separate incident.
The 21-year-old appeared in Orange Local Court on Wednesday, June 5 to be sentenced.
According to court documents, police stopped the car Parsons was travelling in about 2.30am on March 31, 2024.
The car was stopped at the Hungry Jacks car park on Bathurst Road for a random breath test.
Additional police attended the vehicle stop with a second alcometer due to the first becoming unusable.
Police struck up a conversation with Parsons and another passenger while waiting to complete the breath test.
Parsons was drunk, he also appeared to be under the influence of a drug because his mood changed frequently. At times he was calm then he would start yelling loudly and he began swearing at police telling them to "f--k off you gronk".
Police warned him not to use offensive language but he yelled, "freedom of speech. Freedom of speech mother f--ker".
He continued to swear, shout and abuse the police officers and moved close to a police officer who gently pushed him away.
"Don't touch me bra. I'll f--king have a go. Let's go bra. You want to touch me c--k sucker. Freedom of speech mother f--ker," he said to the officer.
Once police had finished the vehicle stop the driver no longer wanted Parsons to get back into her vehicle.
As he began to move away he said to police, "park your car properly you f--king gronk. Why don't you turn your sirens on c--t."
Police began moving towards him with the intention of arresting him to stop the continuation of his offensive language and to confirm his identity.
He started screaming hysterically and then yelled, "move back boy, I'll f--king bottle you c--k sucker."
He had a half-full bottle of Sour Puss liqueur in his left hand which he transferred to his right hand and drew back his arm as if about to throw the bottle at the police.
A Leading Senior Constable believed he would carry out his threat and feared for his safety briefly drawing then reholstering his taster, which caused the accused to run away and drop the bottle.
Police pursued him on foot but he stopped running after about 200 metres at the intersection of William Street and Dora Street. He was arrested and taken to Orange police station.
Parsons was earlier arrested and charged with riding while never licensed after he was stopped while riding an unregistered trail bike on Algona Crescent at Orange about 12.50pm on December 10, 2023.
He was sitting on the bike when the police approached him but as soon as he saw police he jumped off the motorbike and began to walk.
He told police "I was just testing the bike out for my brother and was going to ride it in the park".
Parsons' solicitor Isabella Strapp said her client was affected by a "high level of intoxication" on the night he threatened the police officer.
"He remembers being in the backseat of the car and remembers seeing the police but doesn't remember much more," she said.
She said community service would be a valuable consideration on sentence and Parsons would need supervision and treatment for alcohol misuse and anger management.
Magistrate David Day said Parsons should be convicted for the offences.
Mr Day convicted Parsons with no further action for using offensive language in a public place.
"The most serious matter is assaulting [the police officer], you were going off your head when drunk, that's no excuse," Mr Day said.
"This is you getting on the drink and carrying on ... you go off at a police constable who knows what he was doing."
He also convicted Parsons for assaulting the police officer and gave him a supervised 12-month community correction order that will require rehabilitation and treatment.
"It's not a battery, it's a threat," Mr Day said.
For riding the stolen motorbike Mr Day convicted Parsons without further penalty and no driving disqualification was imposed.
