William Cormac McCarthy applies for bail after allegedly biting cop’s finger in Charters Towers

A man has been ordered to submit a disease test after allegedly biting and breaking the skin of a police officer after he tried to hide drugs in his mouth.

Police officer wearing a high-vis vest while his colleagues conduct drug and alcohol tests. generic / file / police / crime / random breath test / traffic

A man allegedly tried to destroy evidence by hiding drugs he was found with in his mouth and then bit an officer’s finger as the cop attempted to retrieve the drugs.

William Cormac McCarthy was intercepted by police on Saturday in Charters Towers when he was the passenger of a vehicle that had been pulled over, according to police.

The 30-year-old appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday via video link from the watch house and made an application for bail after being charged with serious assault of police by spitting or biting.

No pleas have been entered.

Police prosecutor Danny Burke opposed the bail application and said the man was allegedly found with 3.72g of methamphetamine, 1.31g of cocaine, a number of Suboxone strips and MDMA pills.

He also told the court police were analysing Mr McCarthy’s phone, and there may be more charges to come.

“He was uncooperative and obstructive and continued to resist arrest,” Mr Burke said.

“He sprinted away from the officer.”

At one point it’s alleged the man reached into his pocket and retrieved a substance which he then put in his mouth.

Police attempted to remove it and he bit down on the officer’s ring finger, which tore through the rubber glove and caused the finger to bleed.

Mr Burke said Mr McCarthy was also alleged to have moved his handcuffed arms to the front of his body and jump out of the police vehicle’s window where ambulance had to be called to assess the man for injury.

He told the court Mr McCarthy posed a “real risk” of reoffending.

Defence lawyer Abigail Braid so conditions could be imposed if the man was granted bail that could reduce his risk of reoffending, and told the court he had been affected by drugs when he allegedly committed the offences.

She also told the court he had agreed to submit a disease test following the bite.

Magistrate Kerri Fredericks ultimately refused the bail application as she deemed him too high a risk of reoffending and interfering with evidence as he had already tried to destroy drugs when arrested.

She adjourned Mr McCarthy’s charges to May 12 and ordered he provide blood sample for a disease test.

Originally published as William Cormac McCarthy applies for bail after allegedly biting cop’s finger in Charters Towers