Brendon Purden: Nowra man nabbed with nine times the indictable amount of meth assaulted police

Faced with rearrest less than three years after leaving jail, a South Coast drug dealer “lashed out” at police, kicking and trying to headbutt officers, before fleeing from custody.

A Nowra man who tried to headbutt police before mounting a daring escape from officers has told a South Coast court he was “frustrated” by the prospect of rearrest.

Brendon Purden, 28, pleaded guilty at the Nowra Local Court on Tuesday to twice assaulting police, resisting, and escaping arrest, as well as a raft of drug and driving charges, following a road stop in August 2021.

Officers halted Purden’s Ford Mondeo on Jindalee Cres in Nowra shortly after 1am on August 23, with a search revealing 44g of meth concealed in his underpants; an amount nine times the indictable quantity under law.

“Police advised Purden they were going to pull his waist band forward,” according to agreed police documents.

“A small black sock was clearly visible wedged under Purden’s scrotum. When asked, Purden told officers there was a condom in the sock (and) when told to remove the sock, he immediately threw it over the car. Police then told Purden he was under arrest.”

Purden was told to put his hands behind his back, but fought against attempts to handcuff him.

“An officer attempted to take a hold of Purden around the top of his body,” the documents state.

“However, Purden lunged back at the officer with his head, causing the officer to have to move his head back to avoid being headbutted. This caused him to lose his grip on Purden.”

Purden broke free and fled, but was stopped after only 50m after his pants fell to his ankles, tripping him.

“Purden thrashed violently and wrestled onto the footpath by officers,” the documents state. “During the wrestle, Purden continually tried to headbutt the left side of the officer’s face.”

Officers deployed capsicum spray to restrain Purden, with police nearby also being affected. Police received minor injuries, with one officer suffering swelling to their fingers.

Nowra Police Station. Picture: Google

On April 17, Purden was again pulled over by police on North St, Nowra, according to police documents.

“Police were aware Purden was on bail and called for further assistance to arrest him,” the documents state. “Purden told police his name was ‘Jack’ and that they had the wrong person.”

Purden then began arguing with police, before he was informed he was under arrest.

“Police walked Purden to the rear of a nearby caged vehicle,” the documents state. “While opening the car door, Purden dropped his body weight and forcibly pushed past officers and ran in a southerly direction, escaping police custody after being placed under arrest.”

Officers gave chase and managed to tackle him to the ground in the middle of Berry St, Nowra.

“Purden continued to lash out toward police and resist arrest,” the documents state. “Police were able to subdue Purden, pinning him to the ground until other police arrived.

“After being placed in the rear of the vehicle, Purden continued to lash out, kicking both his legs towards officers with enough force to cause them to lose balance.”

Purden was taken to Nowra Police Station where he was charged with escaping arrest.

Lawyer Kel Clowry told Magistrate Lisa Viney on Tuesday that Purden had a “problem” with being arrested following two previous bouts of incarceration, including in 2015 for an armed break and enter.

“He did assault police, but it wasn’t out of spite,” he said. “It was because he was frustrated, and he was also injured in the arrest.

“I’m not being critical of police, but they used hammer strikes in the arrest. They overpowered him. Purden gave as good as he got.”

Mr Clowry said Purden had accepted while in custody that he suffered from a drug problem.

“He has an addiction – like so many people – to meth, which affects his judgment,” he said. “He was supplying to feed his own habit, it wasn’t for his lifestyle.

“He was selling to quite a lot of people to acquire his own drugs. $2900 is a fair bit of money, but it isn’t that much if you are a user and have to purchase your own drugs.”

Purden told the court he was at a crossroads, and wanted to do the right thing.

“I want to take the right steps for myself and my family,” he said. “If given the chance once I am released, I will take my last step to ensure my sobriety. I don’t want to disappoint my mum anymore.”

Purden has been in custody on remand since April. During that time, he claimed to have been the victim of two separate attacks involving an improvised weapon, which resulted in him being placed in protective custody.

“Someone jumped the fence and came at me with a shiv,” he claimed.

In sentencing, Magistrate Viney acknowledged “special circumstances”.

She sentenced Purden to an aggregate term of imprisonment of 18 months, with a $750 fine and a six-month suspension from driving.

Purden will be eligible for release from January 2023 after Ms Viney reduced the non-parole period to nine months from when Purdon was arrested in April.