Cairns crime: Ryan Mick guilty of five charges of assaulting police at Atherton

A man with a troubled background who engaged 11 police and fire services in a six hour siege on the Tablelands learned his fate in Cairns District Court.

A MAN who engaged police in a six hour siege at Atherton before being tasered was sentenced on seven charges in Cairns District Court on Wednesday.

Ryan Leigh Mick, 29, pleaded guilty to five counts of assaulting a police officer, and one count of arson.

The court heard he faced charges in a previous incident where he threatened to burn down a unit and set kitchen blinds alight.

Crown prosecutor Hannah McNeale said limited emergency services resources on the Atherton Tablelands were tied up for six hours during the incident on May 26 last year.

He went to a unit he had been sharing with a woman, behaved in an abusive way and “threatened to smash her over the head”, the court heard.

Eleven police officers attended and he repeatedly threw knives at them and set the unit alight, causing more than $15,000 damage.

Mick shouted at police “are you ready to die” before he was ultimately tasered and arrested.

He self-harmed during the incident.

Ryan Mick, 29, was sentenced on seven charges arising from a six hour siege at Atherton last May, when he held police at bay threatening them with knives and throwing them at police.

Defence barrister Kelly Goodwin said Mick said a challenging upbringing had given Mick his demons.

“He comes from a very challenging background of domestic violence and alcohol abuse, he left home at a very young age, got caught up in the Northern Territory youth justice system and was sexually abused in detention,” Mr Goodwin said.

“He had not been taking medications for some time at the time of offence, was intent on self-harming, and asked one officer for help.

“He is extremely remorseful and very grateful to the officers, it is more out of good luck than good management that no people were physically harmed due to his actions on that evening.”

Mr Goodwin said Mick had insight into his conduct, had engaged with youth mental health service Headspace and was committed to maintaining his medication upon release.

Judge Michael Rackemann said Mr Mick’s conduct was very dangerous and arson was serious.

He noted Mick had spent 384 days in pre-sentence custody.

“Another consideration is the total length of time spent in prison over the last six and a half years as a result of a series of sentences,” Judge Rackemann said.

He said Mick had been engaged with mental health services since he was 14 years old and had a long history of suicidal behaviour and alcohol abuse.

“You indeed have extreme shame about what occurred in the past and that feeds your desire to self-destruct,” Judge Rackemann said.

He gave a head sentence of three years and three years’ probation but set September 14 as a parole release date.

Judge Rackemann emphasised that a condition of parole was to submit to medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment as directed by a corrective services officer.

Originally published as Cairns crime: Ryan Mick guilty of five charges of assaulting police at Atherton