Delusional drug-affected man bashed police with metal pole
A young family woke up on Christmas Day to find their yard full of police trying to pry an armed, drug-affected man from beneath their home.
Toowoomba
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NATHIAN Clint Washington was in the grips of drug-induced psychosis when he attempted to force his way into an elderly woman’s home, shortly before sunrise on Christmas Day, 2020.
High on ice, Washington was fleeing an imaginary, shotgun-wielding assailant who he feared was out to get him.
When the woman refused to let him into her Kettle Street home, Washington, 45, attempted to jimmy her door open with a screwdriver, before attempting to steal her car.
He fled on foot to Holberton St and barricaded himself in a storage unit under a family’s home.
The Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard on Friday that the family was opening their Christmas presents as police flooded their yard, in pursuit of Washington.
Police Prosecutor Bettina Trenear said Washington was initially armed with a knife, which he discarded in favour of a metal pole.
The court heard Washington bashed an officer who was attempting to pry him from the storage unit.
As a result the officer required treatment at the Toowoomba Hospital for lacerations and bruising.
Washington was arrested after a 20-minute standoff and he remained in custody until Friday.
Acting for the defence, solicitor Michael McElhinney said Washington was a father of eight children, grew up in St George, had a longstanding addiction to ice and was remorseful.
“He has always indicated he would enter a plea of guilty,” he said.
Magistrate Kay Ryan said the incident would have been traumatic for the people involved.
“There is a young family opening Christmas presents with you in their backyard, armed with a knife,” she said.
“You are lucky the police did not shoot their firearms.
“Serious assault of police is an offence that is taken very seriously by the court.”
Washington pleaded guilty to six charges including two counts of serious assault of police while armed.
Ms Ryan ordered a head sentence of nine months jail, suspended for 18 months, after noting the 58 days Washington spent in pre-sentence custody.
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Originally published as Delusional drug-affected man bashed police with metal pole
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