Dylan Joseph Andrew Sharpley pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to trespass, obstructing police

Wanted on a return to prison warrant, a Toowoomba man was found at his ex-partner’s house. Find out what happened next when police tried to take him into custody.

Wanted by police on a return to prison warrant, a Toowoomba man was found at the home of his ex-partner, and refused to go into custody without a fight.

Dylan Joseph Andrew Sharpley appeared in the city’s magistrates court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to trespass and obstructing police.

The 29-year-old had previously been handed a nine month prison sentence for an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but his parole was revoked by corrective services on July 6 and a return to prison warrant was issued.

The court was told police caught up to Sharpley on July 16, when about 12.30pm they attended a Ramsay Street address to follow up on inquiries of a wanted person job.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Natalie Bugden said Sharpley attempted to flee from police, trespassing in the process, before officers caught up with him.

Struggling against his arrest, the court was told police had to tackle Sharpley to the ground in order to arrest him.

“He placed police at unnecessary risk of injury by struggling against them,” Sergeant Bugden said.

Sharpley’s solicitor Ryan McCullough said his client’s life had been marred by tragic circumstances that saw his mother die from a blood clot when he was 18.

Further tragedy struck in 2015 when Sharpley’s father killed his sister and seven year old nephew before turning the gun on himself in a devastating murder-suicide.

The court was told Sharpley had plans to return to Wandoan.

Mr McCullough said his client had been at his ex-partner’s house before his arrest packing away items that were still at the property, and that he was aware of the return to prison warrant but lashed out against his arrest in frustration.

Magistrate Clare Kelly declared the 41 days of pre-sentence custody Sharpley had served as punishment enough, making him immediately eligible to apply for parole.

Originally published as Dylan Joseph Andrew Sharpley pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to trespass, obstructing police