Jai William Shelton: 21-year-old sentenced for obstructing police at Surfers Paradise

A 21-year-old whose night out on the Glitter Strip ended up getting him sentenced for obstructing police was told to ‘stop f***ing resisting, you f***ing idiot’. Watch his arrest video here.

A man who told police he would “smash [them] with the cuffs on” while being arrested at Surfers Paradise has been sentenced.

Jai William Shelton, 21, pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday to possessing S4 medicine, possessing a dangerous drug, public nuisance in the vicinity of a licensed premises and obstructing police.

The court heard Shelton was extremely agitated and shadow boxing with a member of the public at Surfers Paradise on July 20, 2024.

Others tried to intervene but Shelton began to punch another man in the head and a fight broke out, the court heard.

Police crews responded to the brawl near the Cavill and Orchid Avenue corner but Shelton ran when police arrived.

Police body worn camera footage, played in court, showed officers running after Shelton and ordering him on the ground.

Police are heard telling Shelton “put your hands behind your back and stop f***ing resisting, you f***ing idiot”.

Jai William Shelton, 21, shown on police body-worn camera footage, was sentenced at Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Picture: supplied

Officers handcuff Shelton while the crowd cheers.

Shelton is seen obstructing officers and at one point says: “I’ll smash you with cuffs on.”

During the arrest near Elsewhere nightclub, Shelton eventually loses his pants and police get his phone.

Another man was also arrested.

Shelton was searched and drugs including cocaine were found.

At the time, Shelton was on bail for an assault occasioning bodily harm charge and was remanded to custody on September 5, 2024.

Shelton was sentenced in the Beenleigh District Court on March 17 for the assault charge getting 15 months jail, and was released from custody on parole the next day.

Shelton’s defence solicitor Demi Quadrio from Gatenby Criminal Law said her client’s bail was revoked at his request which was why he returned to custody in 2024.

She submitted the matter was within range to convict and not further punish.

Ms Quadrio said she accepted her client had committed the offence on bail but at the time only had two entries on his adult criminal history, and is still a young man with an 18-month-old child.

It was argued in court whether Shelton would have received the same sentence in Beenleigh District Court if the charge had been before the courts last week.

Acting Magistrate Sarah Thompson sentenced Shelton to three months jail with parole set for Tuesday.