SA Police ‘assault’: Matthew Odgers tells court it is a miracle he recorded incident with Andrew Allan Jaunay and Sean Gregory Hobbs

A man who was allegedly assaulted by police feared he would “never be seen again” and considers it a “miracle” he recorded the incident, a court has heard.

Matthew Odgers outside court. Picture: Kelly Barnes.

A man who was allegedly assaulted by police has told a court it was “a miracle” his phone recorded the incident – because he did not realise the device had been activated.

On Thursday, Matthew Odgers told the Adelaide Magistrates Court he was “petrified” when SA Police officers Andrew Allan Jaunay and Sean Gregory Hobbs attacked him.

Under cross-examination, the duo’s lawyers challenged Mr Odgers’ account of the incident, suggesting he only started recording once his mother arrived on the scene.

Mr Odgers rejected their assertion, saying he had reached into his pocket while being assaulted hoping to trigger a recording, with no guarantee it would work.

“That recording was my last resort, it was a miracle … my phone was in my pocket, by a miracle it did (record), and thank God it did,” he said.

“I didn’t even know it was recording.”

When the duo’s counsel suggested the recording was muffled and unclear, Mr Odgers replied: “You can hear it clearly enough to know what happened.”

Andrew Allan Jaunay outside court. Picture: AAP/David Mariuz.

Jaunay, 42, of Morphettville, and Hobbs, 33, of Torrensville, have pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault causing harm.

The charges arise from a stop-and-search at Whyalla in October 2013, when Mr Odgers was 17 – prosecutors allege he was struck by Jaunay and choked by Hobbs.

In the recording made on Mr Odgers’ mobile phone, a voice alleged to be Jaunay’s warns the then-teenager he will “hunt him down” if he complains of being assaulted.

Mr Odgers’ mother has told the court Jaunay was “aggressive, quite adrenaline-pumped” and “quite erratic” when she arrived on the scene.

Sean Gregory Hobbs outside court. Picture: Kelly Barnes.

In cross-examination on Thursday, Mr Odgers said he was “petrified and traumatised” during and immediately after the assault.

That fear, he said, prompted him to attempt to record the incident.

“I was very afraid, afraid that something would happen to me … I was afraid I would never been seen again,” he said.

“I thought, if I went missing, there would be a recording.

“When my mum got there, I was safe … I got straight close to her and said ‘he’s been assaulting me’.”

Counsel for the duo suggested it was unlikely Mr Odgers could have started recording without looking at his phone, given the number of swipes and taps needed to open the app.

He rejected that assertion, saying: “You don’t need to be Einstein to figure it out.”

The trial, before Magistrate Ben Sale, continues.