James Adams: Drug-affected man after attacks police officer at Dubbo Base Hospital

A man with a lengthy history of police violence has been slammed by a magistrate and imprisoned after biting a policeman on Anzac Day. Here‘s what happened.

A Dubbo man with a “constant theme” of police violence has come under the wrath of a magistrate after biting an officer while high on meth in April.

James Dylan Adams, 23 appeared in Dubbo Local Court via video link from Parklea Correctional Centre following his arrest on April 26.

Court documents reveal Adams showed up to Dubbo Base Hospital asking for treatment for “insect bites” about 4.30pm on Anzac Day.

Hospital staff noticed Adams to be “very agitated” with “heightened” behaviour, saying that he self medicates using meth and that he “used (it) right before I came to hospital”.

Adams continued to act irrationally, with his behaviour “too much” for staff to handle and police were called to help sedate him.

A short time later, police arrived at the scene, finding Adams to be contained by security in a waiting room at the hospital.

James Adams was sentenced in Dubbo Local Court after he was charged with drug possession and assaulting a cop. Picture: Facebook

The police presence enraged Adams, who started to pick up objects and chairs in the room to create a “barrier”.

“Police made multiple attempts to resolve the situation with the accused by using communication and de-escalation techniques,’’ police facts state.

“This resulted in two successful sedative injections.’’

However Adams’ behaviour was “unpredictable”, lunging at police before striking a nearby window with his bare fists.

A cop tased Adams after being warned multiple times and brought to the ground.

When handcuffed, Adams proceeded to bite the top of a policeman’s right forearm. Cops had to strike Adams on the head for him to release the arm from his mouth.

The assault caused bruising and bleeding.

He was transferred to another room where another sedative injection was administered and he was searched with police finding a resealable bag, later identified as 10g of cannabis.

Dubbo Local Court where James Adams appeared via audio visual link from Parklea Correctional Centre.

The following day shortly before 1pm, police observed Adams on the corner of Macquarie and Wingewarra streets in Dubbo where he was approached about an outstanding warrant for the hospital attack.

He ran from police before he was caught and taken to Dubbo police station.

Following an initial plea of not guilty on Wednesday, April 27, Adams was refused bail by Magistrate Theresa Hamilton where he began to lash out, standing on furniture and banging on perspex screens in the cells of Dubbo Courthouse.

On Thursday, Adams’ lawyer Rachel Waugh told the court about his pregnant girlfriend who is due to give birth to his first child in November.

She said Adams was eligible for a 15 to 20 per cent discount because of a relatively early change in plea to guilty.

However, Ms Waugh accepted that Adams’ lengthy criminal history did not assist him with two breaches of community corrections orders for similar offending.

Ms Waugh pointed towards Adams’ “long standing issues with drugs”, highlighting that he was disowned as a child, spending a period of his life on the streets which is “reflective of his criminal history”.

In relation to the hospital attack on a policeman, Ms Waugh appealed to Magistrate Greg Grogin to take into account that her client was sedated and under the influence of drugs.

Ms Waugh then raised Adams’ behaviour since being released on parole on July 4 last year, noting that besides a possess prohibited drug and custody of knife charge, there were no other matters before the hospital incident.

In reply, Magistrate Grogin disputed this saying “so he continued to offend during that time”.

“Ms Waugh said this would indicate a road to some rehab but to me it is the continuation of criminal behaviour,” Magistrate Grogin said.

Ms Waugh conceded that the offence of assaulting an officer did cross the section five threshold – where an offender is to be sentenced to full-time imprisonment, and the court must be satisfied that no penalty other than imprisonment is appropriate.

“He has an extremely poor record which is lengthy and has multiple offences,” Magistrate Grogin told the court.

“There is a constant theme of difficulty with police … they shouldn‘t go to work to be assaulted or bitten … they are not a punching bag.”

While noting Adams’ willingness to seek help for his mental health problems at Dubbo Headspace, with three visits prior to the incident at the hospital, Magistrate Grogin took issue with his “long standing relationship with police”.

In a sentencing assessment report, Magistrate Grogin highlighted Adams’ activity in jail where it appears that “what went on outside of jail is happening inside”.

“(There are) similar behaviours of illegal activity inside and while in custody,” Magistrate Grogin said.

“Similar to what he was involved with outside of jail.”

Magistrate Grogin warned Adams of being institutionalised saying “one day (you might) rather be in jail than out of it”.

In sentencing Adams, Magistrate Grogin declared that the section five threshold had been crossed in relation to the police assault.

He was sentenced to a 12-month aggregate of full time imprisonment with a non-parole period of eight months, while he was convicted for possessing a prohibited drug.

Adams is eligible to get out on Christmas Day.