Anthony David Jonathan Skewes faces court after colliding with cyclist in 2019 and failing to give particulars

A police officer who collided with a cyclist before driving away was suffering from work-related trauma, with the force not supporting him adequately, a court has heard.

An Adelaide police officer who collided with a cyclist before driving away was suffering trauma stemming from his job and SA Police did not support him adequately, a court has heard.

Anthony David Jonathan Skewes, 31, appeared at the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Wednesday pleading guilty for two counts of failing to stop and give particulars to a person at a crash scene.

Another two charge of failing to stop and present to police were withdrawn.

The charges stem from an incident at Smithfield on December 7, 2019 where a collision with a cyclist occurred while Skewes was on duty.

Documents submitted to the court in 2021 stated “a person was injured” in that crash, but Skewes “did not give all possible assistance” to them.

Samuel Joyce, for Skewes, said the former police officer’s mental health leading up to the incident was poor and that the offence was unintentional.

Skewes sought psychological counselling outside usual SA Police pathways because the force was “dismissive”, Mr Joyce said.

He told the court that Skewes worked as a police officer in Elizabeth from 2017.
“This case is sad because it involves an enthusiastic police officer who has now been off work since 2019, and had a complete breakdown, this offending occurred in that context,” Mr Joyce said.

Mr Joyce said his client’s father was a “well known” police officer and that Skewes was also an army reservist.

“In 2019, my client was pursuing a man who produced a meat cleaver which he was swinging, he drew his firearm, but didn’t fire,” he said.

“This incident was a different intensity to what he had experienced but he wasn’t given any real assistance, he instructs me the employee assistance service contacted him a week later but it was a bit of a dismissive phone call.

“That was the point at which he started having trouble to sleep and couldn’t unrattle himself.

“The follow-up he did get was a meeting with his inspector which I’m instructed was an hour and a half long conversation, he was critical of his driving and use of the firearm.

Anthony David Jonathan Skewes leaves the Elizabeth Magistrates Court, with his father following. Picture Jason Katsaras

Mr Joyce said the procedures following this incident gave Skewes the impression that SA Police had not given him the assistance he needed.

“In the second incident he was driven at twice by a vehicle, at the end of a long police chase” Mr Joyce said.

“There was no charges laid for that person’s conduct and that his superiors were critical of involving himself in the way he did, he felt they were trying to blame him for what happened.

“That’s when he started to feel worried about engaging with members of the public.

“He did tell his senior officers and he was not provided with any support.”

Mr Joyce said Skewes tried to talk to colleagues but that they were “not interested” and he instead turned to drinking alcohol.

He said Skewes was injured in an incident in November of 2019 while trying to take a man’s keys out of a car which drove off.

The incident involving a cyclist occurred in December, but charges were not laid until June 15, 2020.

Magistrate Ben Sale said he would be “astonished” if Skewes were to commit a similar act again.

“I don’t think you can separate completely the consequences from the effects,” Mr Sale said.

“I always have a problem with the law punishing the unintended consequences of an unfortunate and sometimes dreaded consequences of an act that perhaps wasn’t even contemplated.”

Skewes will face court again in March.