Shane John Meads sentenced for assaulting Dubbo police

A Sydney druggie who assaulted cops after he was busted with a wad of suspicious items in regional NSW tried to have his case thrown out on mental health grounds.

A 41-year-old Sydney man who kicked cops and was caught driving around a regional NSW town with suspicious items has failed to get his court case thrown out on mental health grounds.

Shane John Meads, of Horsley Park, pleaded guilty to assaulting police, possessing prohibited drug and having suspected stolen goods in custody charges when he faced Dubbo Local Court on Tuesday.

Horsley Park man Shane Meads. Picture: Fire Protection Association Australia

Meads was arrested after police in Dubbo noticed him driving a Ford Ranger in the middle of the road, over the top of double marked lines, on River Street at about 12:20am on April 13.

In a statement of agreed facts tendered in court, police said Meads told them he was in town to do renovations on a property he purchased in the small village of Eumungerie, about 38 kilometres north of Dubbo.

Due to Meads’s agreed criminal history, which has included a jail sentence for commercial drug supply. four convictions for dealing with proceeds of crime and four weapon offences, police said in court documents that they formed a belief he posed a “significant risk” to the community and a search was undertaken.

The sighting of a box for a rifle scope, which police noticed on the back seat of the ute, also prompted officers to use their powers to search.

When Meads started to pull his pants down for the search, police said they could “immediately see an odd shaped object secreted beneath his scrotum”.

Meads removed a brown serviette from his underwear, held it tightly in his hand and refused to give it to police who asked for a look.

Firearm parts police found in Shane Meads's possession in Dubbo on April 13. Picture: NSW Police

According to court documents Meads had a small bottle down his pants and when he was in the back of a paddy wagon he started to become aggressive.

Meads managed to escape the vehicle and he struck a senior constable to the face and grabbed hold of him.

After running away from police, Meads jumped over a fence and ran into a paddock.

Police eventually tackled him to the ground, however he continued to resist and started kicking two officers.

Almost $9000 in $50 and $100 notes were found in Shane Meads’s possession.

The deployment of capsicum spray had limited effect and Meads, who was intoxicated by a substance other than alcohol, had to be threatened with a stun gun to calm him down.

Less than three minutes later, during the dramatic confrontation, Meads let officers put him in handcuffs, however he continued to scream and thrash around.

Police discovered cannabis extract from hemp seed oil was in the bottle in Meads’s underwear.

A black Hugo Boss satchel with 80 $100 notes and 19 $50 notes in it, totalling $8950 was located on the front seat of Meads’s ute.

Three laptops, two iPhones and an iPad were found in the ute. One of the devices appeared to have its contents wiped.

A day later, a more extensive search of the ute uncovered six firearm silencers stashed in factory fitted storage spaces underneath rear seats.

Shane Meads was sentenced in the Dubbo Local Court. Picture: Ryan Young

In the foot-well of the right rear passenger seat police located a jammer used to interfere or disrupt radio communications.

Police did later find evidence Meads had recently purchased a property on Hains Road at Eumungerie for about $580,000, court documents state.

Meads was initially bail refused, however he was later given permission to leave custody and undertake treatment at a drug rehabilitation facility.

In court Magistrate Greg Grogin rejected an application to have Meads’s case thrown out under what is known as a new Section 14 order of the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act which allows people with mental illnesses to avoid convictions.

Meads was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order which requires him to stay off drugs and be supervised by Campbelltown Community Corrections staff who he must report to by October 19.