Marrickville: Michael Charalambous allegedly punched female cop Jodi Harris

The dog squad was called in and PolAir took to the skies to track down a man in dramatic scenes in Sydney’s inner west after a female police officer was allegedly attacked.

A 20-year-old man will front court after allegedly assaulting a police officer in Marrickville.

A man arrested after allegedly punching a female inner west cop and leading officers on a wild chase in Marrickville on Wednesday will defend the charges.

The alleged dramatic scene played out after 20-year-old man Michael Charalambous — who a court heard was serving an intensive correction order for property offences — was stopped on Marrickville Rd about 11.25am by officers patrolling the suburb.

Police allege the unemployed man reportedly ignored them, walked away and began pouring a drink out of a container in the street.

When police approached him again he then allegedly punched Constable Jodi Harris in the face and ran from the scene.

Their search led to a stand-off at a nearby home.

That prompted the dog squad and PolAir into a short search to chase the man before a stand-off at a home on nearby Central Ave.

He was arrested a short time later and charged with a raft of offences.

He was charged at Newtown police station with one count each of assaulting police, resisting police, possessing drugs, trespassing and possessing stolen goods.

Charalambous, who lives with his mother at Blakehurst, was refused bail and faced Parramatta Local Court today via video on Thursday.

Documents tendered to Parramatta Local Court on Thursday allege when searching Charalambous, police found 1.65g of methylamphetamine, $250 cash suspected of being stolen, a Bendigo bank statement, a Tax Office letter, three Bankwest statements, a St George Bank statement, two Colonial First State letters, a National Geographic envelope, a travel wallet, a another man’s photo identification card, a Westpac debit card and BP rewards card.

During a bail application, Charalambous’s lawyer Louis Angelovski said his client’s father would post a $80,000 surety on his motor home and he would defend the charges except trespassing on a property at Illawarra Rd, Marrickville, to which he would plead guilty.

But in opposing bail, prosecutor Kellie Chessor said he would fail to appear for court appearances, posed an unacceptable risk to the community and would commit serious offences.

“He appears to be a perpetual property offender,’’ she said.

After his dramatic arrest on Wednesday, Charalambous was also charged with dishonestly obtaining property by deception and pleaded guilty after he stole a woman’s bank card and spent $63.35 to pay for a packet of tobacco at Metro Petroleum at Enmore on December 30.

Court papers revealed he had been charged six times for breaching bail and his intensive corrections order was due to expire on March 29.
He was refused bail and the matter will return to Newtown Court on January 12.

The policewoman who was attacked did not sustain any injuries, police said.