Andrew Leonard Vernon sentenced for attack on police

Capsicum spray was no match for a drug addict who broke a police officer’s hand and caused him to hit his head during a wild attack on a Cooroy road.

A drug addict who broke a police officer’s hand and caused him to hit his head during a wild attack claims he was upset to know he hurt the officer.

Andrew Leonard Vernon was sentenced in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday to 12 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to nine offences including serious assault of a police officer causing bodily harm while adversely affected in public.

Police prosecutor David Hoffman told the court Vernon had been pulled over in Cooroy on February 14 when he attacked a senior constable.

“During the altercation (the officer got) wild punches thrown towards him. This caused them both to fall to ground and a violent struggle ensured,” Senior Constable Hoffman said.

“The officer struck his head while trying to detain him and was momentarily stunned.”

Senior Constable Hoffman said the single officer used capsicum spray to detain Vernon.

He said the spray had “little effect” on the 32-year-old.

Unable to get handcuffs on Vernon the police officer let him go before copping another “flurry of punches” that didn’t connect with the officer.

The court heard the victim officer suffered significant injuries during the “violent fight” including a fractured hand, torn ligament and cuts and abrasions to his right arm.

Senior Constable Hoffman said the officer had ongoing medical appointments for the injuries that had caused him stress in his work and personal life.

He said the officer was unable to take part in his recreational activities and had still not returned to full duties.

Senior Constable Hoffman said Vernon had a disregard for the safety of police and asked for a 15 to 18 month prison sentence.

The court heard Vernon’s history included habitual drug use and property offences with two previous assaults on police officers.

Andrew Leonard Vernon, 32, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer. Picture: File.

Duty lawyer Kylie Anderson said Vernon, who suffered from PTSD and meth use disorders, had told his psychologist he was upset that he had hurt the officer.

Ms Anderson noted the officer had pre-existing injuries and had undergone surgery for unrelated carpal tunnel syndrome.

She disagreed with Senior Constable Hoffman’s statement that Vernon reacted badly every time he was involved with police, saying he had a lengthy criminal history with only two occasions of violence.

“(He is a) drug and property offender, not a person who resorts to violence,” she said.

She said Vernon had endured a traumatic childhood and started using marijuana as a 15-year-old before he moved to harder drugs in the past six years.

The court heard Vernon was remanded in custody for supreme court drug matters and wouldn’t be eligible for parole regardless of if he was given an eligibility date.

Ms Anderson asked for a 12-month prison sentence and for Vernon’s 242 days of pre-sentence custody to be marked as time already served.

“He will end up doing every day of that,” she said.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist marked Vernon’s pre-sentence custody as time already served.

Vernon will be eligible for parole on February 4, 2022.