Brett Paul Lawrence: Chronic police assaulter handed sentence

A magistrate has called out a man’s interpretation of “good behaviour” after he assaulted a police officer just days into a community corrections order.

A man who sent a Community Services Centre into lockdown last month was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.

Brett Paul Lawrence fronted court via video link where Magistrate Gabriel Fleming considered his charge of assaulting a police officer on Wednesday, May 18.

Shortly before 11am on the day of the offence, police were called to the Wollongong Community Services Centre on Bridge St in Coniston after Lawrence, a man with a “predilection to carry knives”, was threatening to kill staff.

The building was in lockdown when police arrived only a few minutes later with Lawrence standing outside.

Police ordered Lawrence to get on the ground three times, but he made “no effort” to comply and when police tried to place him under arrest, he pushed a police officer in the chest.

Brett Paul Lawrence sent the Wollongong Community Services Centre into lockdown. Picture: Google Maps

The officer reached and grabbed his shirt, causing it to rip, with Lawrence then raising two clenched fists and throwing a right-handed punch.

The hook was evaded before Lawrence was punched in the face which caused him to stumble back and allowed police to handcuff him.

Documents tendered in court indicated Lawrence has previously been charged with 14 offences against police, including assault, and he’s been charged of assaulting others on no less than 29 occasions.

At the time of the offence, Lawrence was four days into a two-year community corrections order leading Magistrate Fleming to question his interpretation of “good behaviour”.

Brett Paul Lawrence appeared in Wollongong Local Court via AVL.

“When you are on good behaviour it means you are on good behaviour, not good behaviour for as long as you can,” she scolded.

“You don’t push, punch, try to punch or do anything to police.”

Magistrate Fleming stated the offence holds a maximum sentence of five years in jail, however, she said this was on the lower end of the scale.

Lawrence was sentenced to a seven-month prison sentence, but he will be eligible for parole on June 17.