Jarred Rayner sentenced at Hornsby after assaulting police at Groovin The Moo

A festival attendee punched, spat at and kicked police several times during a lengthy arrest at a popular music festival near Newcastle.

Jarred Rayner sentenced at Hornsby after assaulting police at Groovin The Moo

Police were punched, kicked and spat at with blood after trying to arrest a persistent Hornsby man at a popular music festival.

Jarred Rayner, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer in execution of their duty, one count of resisting police in execution of their duty and one count of possessing a prohibited drug and faced Hornsby Local Court on June 28.

Police facts state the Hornsby landscaper was caught attempting to enter a restricted area at the music festival “Groovin The Moo” at South Maitland on March 22.

Police and security attempted to grab Rayner after jumping a fence before the North Shore man violently lashed out.

Groovin The Moo Maitland 2023 attracted over 25,000 music lovers.

Rayner grabbed a Police Senior Constable by the “upper chest and neck”, before flailing his arms – punching a police officer to the head.

Police facts state Rayner was drunk and high at the time.

Rayner continued to kick and degrade police as he was hauled to the muddy ground, with onlookers pleading for the drunk to give in.

“During the relatively lengthy procedure to handcuff the accused, numerous members of the public were calling out for the accused to stop resisting. Calls of: “stop playing up”; “stop being an idiot”, and “stop resisting” were made – these calls, like those of the police, were ignored,” police facts state.

Rayner was taken to Maitland Police Station.

As Rayner was hauled away, he continued to thrash his limbs around, kicking an officer to the thigh before “using his head to lash out” at police, according to tendered documents.

Police were again forced to pin him Rayner the floor, this time resulting in a tooth to fall out – before Rayner spat the blood from the injury to a police officer’s face – saying “get a bit of that”.

Rayner was found with two joints as he was arrested and taken to Maitland Police Station.

Police facts state Rayner continued to abuse police and ambulance staff before eventually apologising.

Magistrate Robert Williams said if not for otherwise being of good character with no criminal history, Rayner was looking at jail time.

Mr Williams told the court police were simply trying to do their job when they were attacked and degraded in public.

Rayner was handed a suspended jail sentence in the form of an intensive corrections order for eight months, ordered not to drink alcohol and was fined $1250.