Manly, Sydney Rd: Man pleads guilty to biting cop during shoplifting arrest
A police officer needed hospital treatment after he was bitten by a Wollongong man during an arrest for shoplifting in Manly’s CBD. See what happened in court.
Manly
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A man has pleaded guilty to biting a police officer so hard that he had to be taken to hospital.
The constable was savagely bitten on the arm while he, and two other officers, were arresting Jake Gregory Smith, 31, after he intimidated a Manly shopkeeper with a cigarette lighter.
Smith, from Wollongong, went to the King of the Pack tobacconist on Sydney Rd, on Saturday at about 9.30am, wanting to buy cigarettes, a drink and a $50 bottle of nitrous oxide.
Manly Local Court was told on Thursday, that when his EFTPOS card didn’t work, he asked the shopkeeper “can I take them and pay later?”
The shopkeeper said “no”, but Smith walked from the shop, chased by the staffer who managed to get the items back.
In a facts sheet tendered to court, police stated that Smith entered the shop again, picked up a cigarette lighter, ignited it and held it near a display shelf full of chocolate bars to “intimidate” the shopkeeper.
He then went behind the counter, grabbed the nitrous oxide bottle and bolted.
About three hours later police saw Smith in Sydney Rd, near the outdoor dining areas for the InSitu restaurant and Ground Zero Cafe.
When the three officers tried to arrest him he struggled and tried to pull away from their grasp.
“During the struggle (Smith) put his mouth on (the officer’s) right forearm and bit the victim … leaving a purple, reddish circular mark,” the facts sheet stated.
After he was bundled to the ground and handcuffed he was told “you just bit an officer”.
Smith replied: “I didn’t know what that was, until you told me”.
After he was charged, Smith was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital for a mental health assessment.
Smith pleaded guilty to assault police officer in execution of duty cause actual bodily harm; larceny; attempt stalk/intimidate intend fear of harm (personal) and: hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty.
Magistrate Robyn Denes ordered he return to Manly court to be sentenced on March 2 and that a psychiatric report be prepared as part of a pre-sentence report.
Smith, who is in custody, did not apply for bail.
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