Denis Thomey: Man in court for punching cop 17 years ago at Bondi
A business owner who punched a cop in the face 17 years ago in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has finally fronted court for the offence.
Wentworth Courier
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A man who punched a cop in the face 17 years ago at Bondi Junction has finally fronted court for the offence in what has been described as an “unusual case”.
Denis Thomey, 39, formerly from Bondi, appeared in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two historic charges of assault police and resist police.
Those two offences relate to a drunken incident in November 2003 in Bondi Junction when Thomey was aged 22.
The agreed facts stated police found Thomey intoxicated and passed out on the side of a street.
Paramedics woke him up and, while he was being loaded into a police vehicle, he punched a police officer in the cheek.
The agreed facts stated police were simply trying to take him home but he became aggressive.
Thomey was charged but did not attend court.
Remarkably, he did not come before the attention of police again until recently, when police ran his name and realised he was wanted on a historic warrant.
“He came to the aid of someone (recently) who found themselves in a similar situation to the one he found himself in 17 years ago, and police asked for his name and he gave it,” his lawyer explained.
The court heard Thomey had no recollection of the drunken incident in 2003 including being taken to the police station.
Magistrate Ross Hudson dismissed his charges on Tuesday after taking into consideration Thomey’s clean record for the past 17 years and his being a different man to the one that was arrested all those years ago.
The court heard Thomey now runs his own business and helps support charities and community groups including a junior rugby league club.
Magistrate Hudson noted it was an “unusual case” and it would be an injustice to convict Thomey considering his good character since 2003 and the impact it would have on him now.
Thomey is originally from Ireland.