Julian Forbes-Marchewka: Teen spat, punched police in dope fight
Spitting mad: A Frankston South “immature” cop-chase cannabis-craving teen attacked officers in a scuffle over a bag of marijuana.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
An 18-year-old weed-lover spat at and punched cops after he was nabbed over a dangerous police pursuit, a court has heard.
Julian Forbes-Marchewka lost the plot after he had been found at his Frankston South home next to his car with a stash of marijuana in his pocket.
He didn’t want to give up his bag of dope and launched into a violent frenzy, resisting arrest and wrestling with officers as they tried to subdue him.
Earlier the same night he had led police on a high-speed chase through Seaford which had to be called off because police feared he was too much of a danger to other road users.
Forbes-Marchewka, now aged 20, pleaded guilty to a series of driving, drug and assault charges at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The court heard a marked police car was driving along Railway Parade in Seaford about 1am on March 23 last year.
Officers saw Forbes-Marchewka driving past them at 104km/h in the 60km/h zone and turned around to chase him.
Forbes-Marchewka pulled over, but just as officers got out of their car he sped off.
It was decided it was too dangerous for them to follow, so instead they went to his house.
There Forbes-Marchewka was seen standing next to his still warm car, and he admitted trying to evade police.
He then pulled a small bag of cannabis out from his pocket and put it on the bonnet, but when he was told that it was going to be forfeited he went ballistic.
He grabbed hold of the dope and ran off, but was tackled to the ground.
During the fight, Forbes-Marchewka struck one officer with a clenched fist to the eye and spat at him before he was overpowered and handcuffed.
He told police he had just bought the cannabis and was fuelled by “adrenaline and anger” so lashed out.
The officer wasn’t badly injured, receiving a small cut to the eye area during the incident which happened just a week after the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.
Forbes-Marchewka’s lawyer Tony Danos said since then his client had stopped using drugs, found full-time work as a concreter and was renting a property with his partner.
He said he had no criminal priors, was 18 at the time and suffering from the loss of his grandmother.
He said that had led to “extreme grief” and things went downhill from there, but now he “had turned his life around” and was remorseful for his embarrassing actions.
Magistrate Julian Ayres said Forbes-Marchewka’s conduct that night was immature, anti-social and concerning.
“Such behaviour is entirely unacceptable and must be denounced by the court,” Mr Ayres said.
“I hope this is out of character for you.”
Forbes-Marchewka was placed on a 15-month community corrections order with 100 hours of unpaid work.
He was also given an 18-month good behaviour bond with the condition he pay $1000 to the court fund and do a road trauma awareness program.
He was also disqualified from holding a licence for nine months.
No conviction was recorded.
