Jai Dylan Clarke pleads guilty to fleeing custody, assaulting police

Two police officers have been left injured after a man jumped from the window of a police car and fled in a fruitless effort to escape the law.

Jai Dylan Clarke faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court by video from prison on Thursday. Picture: Patrick Woods

A Buddina man will continue to remain behind bars for his latest violent crimes of assaulting two police officers after he jumped from their vehicle while under arrest.

Jai Dylan Clarke is no stranger to time in prison, having already received lengthy jail terms for a box cutter attack on a teenage girl and an armed robbery of a car which led to a police chase.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday the 23-year-old’s latest crimes on February 28 following an alleged domestic violence incident between him and his father.

Police prosecutor Bec Lambert said Clarke, who was on parole at the time, was arrested at the scene and placed into a police vehicle when he enacted his escape.

Sergeant Lambert said the Buddina man removed one of his handcuffs and jumped out of the police vehicle by opening a window.

Jai Dylan Clarke.

The court heard Clarke took police on a short chase but was apprehended. During his arrest however, the 23-year-old lashed out.

“[Clarke] kicked out at his legs, struck [an officer] in the face and his knee, causing abrasions to his left eye,” Mr Madsen said after reading the facts, labeling it a “donkey kick”.

The court heard as Clarke was being arrested he said all he wanted to do was “go home”. He was also found with a knife and syringe.

He was charged with two counts of serious assault police and one of escaping custody, possessing a weapon and possessing a syringe.

The Buddina man was remanded in custody and spent 76 days in jail until his appearance by video in court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to all charges.

He pleaded guilty to all charges. Picture: Patrick Woods

The police prosecutor said the attacks left the officers with face and hand injuries, with one officer thinking his hand was broken due to it being so swollen.

It was later determined to be soft tissue damage.

In his victim impact statement, the court heard of the long term implications he suffered which included inconvenience to his daily life along with anxiety when attending jobs as a police officer.

Defence lawyer Rod Morgan said Clarke was on parole for seven months prior to his arrest with no issues, which included being clean from his meth addiction while working in roofing.

Mr Morgan said the 23-year-old however became involved in a personal dispute with his dad that day after using drugs, which led to police being called.

The solicitor claimed Clarke “panicked” when police arrived as he thought he had “stuffed it all up” and would go back to jail.

Mr Madsen queried whether the 23-year-old actually was “avoiding responsibility” where he “lost it completely” to officers doing an “unthankful job”.

The magistrate however took into account Clarke’s youth and said his rehabilitation was important.

“Because if you don’t get it right, another police officer’s going to get hurt, another member of the community is going to get hurt by you,” he told Clarke.

Clarke was jailed for 12 months’ with a parole eligibility date set at June 28. This sentence is cumulative on the Buddina man’s previous sentence he was already serving which has a full time discharge date of 2028.