Dalby man faces court after found by police breaching protection order

A Dalby man has been sentenced after police caught him trying to sneak out of a home that a week earlier police told him not to visit. DETAILS

A Dalby man has found himself in court after he was busted by police trying to sneak out of a home that police had told him not to visit a week earlier

Rex William Jerome appeared in Dalby Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to one count of contravening a police protection order and one count of obstructing a police officer.

The court was told that about 6.34pm on June 21, 2024 police were called to a Dalby property in relation to a domestic violence situation.

When they arrived police heard the voice of the defendant, who was known to them, and discovered him outside the property.

Officers attempted to talk to Jerome and said he was not to enter the property, but he ignored them and began walking towards the house with police warning him he would be arrested if he continued to walk away.

He was warned again that he was not free to go before he was ultimately arrested.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said Jerome who was heavily intoxicated blowing a reading of 0.109 didn’t seem to understand that he wasn’t able to go back to the home and “wasn't violent (or) abusing” towards police, even joking with them in the back of the police car after his arrest.

The court was told Jerome was issued a police protection notice preventing him from being within 100m of the aggrieved.

A week later police attended the victim’s house finding Jerome attempting to sneak out the back.

Police spoke to the aggrieved who said Jerome had been attempting to sneak back in throughout the week and they noticed his belongings in a room, appearing as if he was still staying there.

When they questioned him on what he was doing there he told police “where else am I supposed to be?”.

Magistrate Kathleen Payne noted that the aggrieved had not called police on Jerome and it was by sheer luck they had caught him in breach of the order.

Jerome was sentenced to 40 hours community service for both offences and a conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Dalby man faces court after found by police breaching protection order