Paul Wright sentenced after attacking two Senior Constables in Bendigo

Two senior constables who were attacked by a Bendigo thug say the assault was one of the most violent situations they’ve had on duty, a court has heard.

Bendigo thug Paul Wright, 44, pleaded guilty to viciously bashing Leading Senior Constable Bill Edwards with a motorcycle helmet in November, 2024. Picture: Supplied.

A senior constable who was violently attacked by an unlicensed Bendigo grub — who hit him with his motorbike helmet causing multiple injuries — says the conduct was the worst he’s ever dealt with on the job.

Paul Wright, 44, was convicted and sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of 14 months at the Bendigo County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to resisting an emergency worker on duty, two counts of unlicensed driving, recklessly causing injury and driving an unregistered vehicle.

The dad, who never held a licence, was riding an unregistered Honda motorbike on Hargreaves St in Bendigo when police tried to pull him over on November 4 last year.

Wright, who looked over his shoulder, drove on the wrong side of the road and mounted the footpath before riding down a shared path along the Bendigo Creek.

Police were unable to catch him.

Two weeks later, Senior Constable Bill Edwards and another police officer were on their meal break in Golden Square when Constable Edwards saw the Honda turning into a laneway, and realised it was the same bike from the first offending.

Senior Constable Bill Edwards suffered from a broken nose, two busted teeth and two black eyes after being assaulted by Wright. Picture: Supplied.

When the pair approached the unattended bike in a parking bay, Wright returned and started yelling abuse at the officers, saying “you didn’t see me ride in” and calling them “c--ts and dogs”.

As the officers tried to stop Wright from jumping on his motorbike and fleeing, he hit Constable Edwards in the face with his helmet three times, breaking his nose and giving him two busted teeth and two black eyes.

The other officer sustained neck and hip injuries.

The court heard Wright, who was a former construction labourer and kitchenhand, had a difficult upbringing and was introduced to drugs at a young age.

Constable Edwards says the attack had a significant impact on him both physically and psychologically. Picture: Supplied.

Legal Aid barrister Robert Morgan said his client had an acquired brain injury that affected his cognition which made incarceration “more onerous” on Wright.

Mr Morgan submitted Wright had also maintained periods of abstinence.

In Constable Edwards’ victim impact statement, he said the assault had impacted him both physically and psychologically.

“After 21 years as a police officer, and having experienced numerous violent situations, he found your conduct to be the worst he had dealt with,” Judge Trevor Wraight said.

“He continues to consult specialists for ongoing treatment — he’s become more vigilant and does not enjoy the job as he did in the past as a result of your assault.”

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The other officer, in his statement, said the attack had caused him ongoing anxiety and stress.

Throughout his 13-year career, he said, he was proud he was able to de-escalate situations using his communication skills but there was no opportunity to speak to Wright as he became “immediately violent”.

“Both statements reflected that your conduct was violent and unprovoked, in circumstances where the police were undertaking a simple vehicle investigation,” Judge Wraight said.

Wright was also disqualified from driving for a year and fined $500.