Halekulani: Blake Maxwell Sanders jailed for bashing female cop

A man who left a female police officer with a gaping wound to her forehead after she went to help him as he wandered from house to house in the middle of the night has been sentenced.

A man who “suddenly turned” on a female officer and delivered a flurry of uppercut punches to her face before kneeing her in the stomach has been sentenced.

Blake Maxwell Sanders, 30, of Halekulani, faced Gosford District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to two counts each of trespassing and intimidation and the reckless wounding of a female police officer, who was left with a gaping 2.5cm gash to her forehead.

An agreed set of police facts states police were called to Walu Ave at Halekulani in the early hours of July 14, 2020, following reports of a man in a grey hoodie “yelling, screaming and shadow boxing” in the street.

The 47-year-old Senior Constable suffered injuries when she was assaulted by Sanders at Halekulani. Picture: NSW Police

When police arrived Sanders went back inside his own house and refused to answer when officers knocked on his door.

Concerned residents rang the police again at 5.50am when Sanders began banging on neighbours doors yelling “I need a root. Please let me in”.

Officers returned about 7am and found Sanders on the front steps of a nearby property mumbling to himself.

They tried to establish his identity but he told them “I’m going, youse are f..ked” before he put his earphones in and turned his back on them.

The facts state he suddenly turned and lunged at the female officer.

Sanders was sentenced at Gosford District Court on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

“He grabbed her by the back of the hair and pulled her head down, using his other hand to punch her to the right side of her head,” the facts state.

“The offender immediately followed this punch with a further 3-4 uppercut punches to [the Senior Constable’s] face. The offender was screaming ‘f..king c..t’.”

The second punch caused a cut to her forehead and she felt blood running down her face.

The female officer deployed capsicum spray as the other male officer tried to pull Sanders off her.

Sanders took hold of her sleeve and pulled her towards him and kneed her to the face and stomach and continued to try and punch her until they managed to wrestle him to the ground and arrest him.

The officer was left with a 2.5cm open wound to her forehead. Picture: NSW Police

While on the ground Sanders kept being aggressive and told the female officer “I’m going to kill you c..t”.

The facts state Sanders was covered in the female officer’s blood and his mobile phone “appeared to have a clump of hair on it”.

The female officer was taken to Wyong Hospital where doctors used skin glue to close a 2.5cm cut to her forehead and treated her for bruising to her cheek and jaw and concussion.

The facts state the officer suffered from severe headaches, vertigo and nausea for four weeks afterwards and developed post traumatic stress syndrome.

The officer also later required plastic surgery for the scar on her forehead, with the surgeon diagnosing permanent nerve damage due to the laceration and scarring.

Sanders was sentenced to two years and three months jail for the attack, with a non-parole period of one year and five months.

With time already served he will be eligible for release on February 27 this year.