Jeamy Olaa fronts court for attack on custody officers

A convicted sex offender who once sparked a statewide manhunt repeatedly kicked, punched and spat on remand officers during a virtual court appearance that had to be aborted.

Jeamy Olaa has been sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for repeatedly punching, kicking and spitting on custody officers during a virtual court appearance.

A convicted sex offender who once sparked a statewide manhunt has been sent to jail for repeatedly kicking, punching and spitting at custody officers during a virtual court appearance.

A female officer and her two colleagues were attacked by a frustrated Jeamy Olaa at Melbourne Assessment Prison on June 21, 2022 that resulted in the court hearing being aborted.

Olaa, 31, was sentenced by the County Court on Wednesday to 15 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty in January to charges of recklessly causing injury and resisting a custody officer on duty.

He sparked a statewide manhunt in 2020 after failing his reporting obligations following his release from prison for a sexual assault.

On his latest charges, court documents show Olaa was escorted by three prison officers to a video conference room where he was to appear via a link for a hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on June 21, 2022.

Jeamy Olaa’s attack on custody officers at the Melbourne Assessment Prison resulted in one losing her job as a result of her injuries.

During the hearing, he began to talk over his lawyer and the magistrate and at one point, he spat at the screen.

The hearing ended and Olaa was repeatedly told to stop, calm down and follow staff instructions.

He kept kicking and swinging his arms at the officers while they attempted to restrain him.

Olaa pushed a female officer, causing her to fall backwards and strike her left arm on a table.

He continued to be aggressive, saying, “f--- you, let’s go” while kicking, punching and spitting at the officers.

Four more officers arrived and applied knee strikes to his legs and a spit hood before Olaa was brought under control and escorted back to his cell.

The female officer suffered bruises which worsened over time and she was diagnosed with tendinosis- a degenerative process that affects a tendon, causing it to gradually break down- and a frozen left shoulder.

Judge Stewart Bayles said the female officer’s job was terminated as she was deemed no longer fit to work because of the impact on her physical, mental and psychological health.

“An incident such as this highlights that prison officers have a right to be safe at work. The sentence I impose on you must send a message that if others offend in a similar way they expect to receive stern punishment.”

Judge Bayles said Olaa started using ice and heroin in his teens and has sadly spent much of his adult life in jail.

Since this incident, he has been under a “management regime” in prison where he spent 22 hours in a cell largely by himself which was an extreme form of incarceration.