Tweed man Michael Cutts bit police after officers went to help him

Police received numerous calls from surrounding waterfront properties reporting the man’s offensive behaviour and concerns he needed help.

Police detained Cutts on acount of his level of intoxication but he later assaulted them. Picture: BrianAJackson

A Tweed Heads man who wounded a police officer after a welfare check has been refused bail.

Michael Cutts, 33, was joined by two officers in full personal protective equipment when he faced Tweed Heads Local Court by video link from the nearby police station on Monday.

Defence lawyer Riley Owen lodged guilty pleas on Cutts’ behalf to charges of assaulting police causing actual bodily harm, assaulting police and resisting police.

Police were called to Jacaranda Avenue, which backs onto a canal on the Terranora Broadwater in Tweed Heads West, on Sunday afternoon.

They received multiple Triple 0 calls reporting Cutts holding an alcohol bottle, wading in the water and yelling obscenities.

At least one call reported he may have been screaming for help, according to court documents.

When police arrived, they explained they were concerned for his welfare.

He responded by swearing at the officers and saying: “you just wanna take me to jail”.

According to court documents, he was holding a vodka bottle and occasionally drinking from it.

He left the area through residential properties and was apprehended leaving the front gate of a home on Riviera Street.

He was so affected by alcohol police detained him as an intoxicated person.

When they arrived at Tweed Heads Police Station, Cutts repeatedly flung the vehicle door open toward police and capsicum spray was used.

He was physically removed from the vehicle and afterwards bit an officer’s finger “with extreme force”, causing a wound.

According to court documents, multiple officers were required to use “police-approved defence tactics” to force him to release the finger.

An ambulance was called and the officer, who had loose skin and indentations where he was bitten, was treated.

In court, Mr Owen asked for his client to be released on bail.

Police prosecutor Val Short opposed this.

Mr Owen argued alcohol was an underlying issue in Cutts’ offending and proposed a range of bail conditions to mitigate concerns.

He said his client was “very remorseful for his actions” and intends to seek substance abuse help.

He said his client had also been diagnosed with a serious mental illness only last year.

“For many years Mr Cutts was living with that condition without any support or treatment,” Mr Owen said.

“It is my submission that he will face significant vulnerability in custody if remanded today.”

Sgt Short argued Cutts would be “looking at a full time custodial sentence” for the incident.

She said alcohol was still an “outstanding issue” for him.

“He has been given many opportunities during sentencing in the past to address those issues,” she said.

“It appears that it is still a very significant issue and one that puts the community at risk.

“There were a lot of members of the community that rang with concerns about Mr Cutts and the way that he was calling out and aggressive.”

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy acknowledged Cutts’ alcohol struggles and the fact he had been undertaking an apprenticeship.

But he said Cutts had demonstrated “many instances of disobeying court orders”.

He found bail conditions could not adequately address his concerns and he remanded Cutts in custody.

Mr Dunlevy ordered a sentencing assessment report to be prepared.

Cutts is scheduled to be sentenced on December 6.