NRL star Chris Sandow acquitted of police assault charges after trial
An NRL star has walked free from court with a smile after clearing his name of police assault charges.
Police & Courts
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An NRL star claimed victory at trial for police assault charges today but pleaded guilty moments later to eight other offences.
Former Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs star Christopher Carl Gene Sandow, 34, pleaded not guilty at trial on February 9, 2023, to one charge of seriously assaulting a police officer (Taleah Kay Doyle) causing bodily harm, and another of seriously assaulting a police officer (Andrew Norman Goulding).
At the time, the Ipswich court heard evidence from three police officers, a doctor and Sandow himself.
The court also watched body worn camera footage of the three officers from the night the alleged assaults took place.
The officers alleged Sandow – supported in court by his mother Rhonda and former coach John Lang – had head butted one of them, injured their finger, and “rugby-style” tackled another.
Magistrate Jason Schubert delivered a reserved decision on Friday, February 24.
He said the video footage proved that Sandow had physically resisted arrest and obstructed police, but said he wasn’t satisfied that it showed the alleged assaults.
Mr Schubert said the prosecution’s evidence therefore relied on the verbal evidence of the officers.
He said he considered their evidence reliable, and that just because the footage didn’t show the assaults, it didn’t mean they didn’t take place given the limited visibility of their angles.
However, Mr Schubert said he considered Sandow’s evidence to appear reliable also, and noted that gave him some level of doubt to the officers’ claims.
He acknowledged that Sandow had incorrectly stated he had not been arrested before at one stage in his testimony.
He said he accepted, however, that Sandow had likely not understood the difference between being physically arrested on this occasion, versus police previously attending his property and issuing him a notice to appear.
As Mr Schubert considered both the prosecution and the defence’s witnesses to be reliable, he said he was not satisfied the prosecution had proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.
Sandow was therefore acquitted of the two police assault charges.
However, he still had eight outstanding charges, which he pleaded guilty to moments later.
Sandow’s charges included three counts of driving without a licence, one of dangerous operation of a vehicle, one of evasion, two of obstructing police, and one of entering a premises and committing an indictable offence by break.
Sandow removed gum from his mouth at the Magistrate’s request after entering his plea.
Police prosecutor sergeant Brad Dick said the traffic and obstruct charges occurred in July and August 2022.
He told the court the dangerous operation charge occurred when police spotted Sandow driving without a licence in Goodna on July 7, 2022, around 11.40am.
They attempted to intercept, but Sandow accelerated onto the Ipswich Motorway, cut into heavy traffic and forced multiple vehicles to evade as he swerved in and out of traffic at high speeds.
A speed camera captured Sandow travelling at 158km at one stage.
Police eventually intercepted Sandow on Brisbane Road in Ebbw Vale, where the court heard he told them that ever since he had moved to Ipswich, police had been picking on him and that he had been driving so fast because he was scared of them.
Sgt Dick said Sandow had further “threatened to have police jobs for enforcing the traffic rules”.
Sgt Dick called Sandow’s attitude “entirely entitled and arrogant”.
“There’s no regard shown for the safety of other road users – or for that matter the police”.
The court heard the enter premises occurred in 2017 and was uncovered after DNA obtained throughout the police assault investigation came up a match for the old crime scene.
Mr Schubert said Sandow and alleged co-offenders had smashed the front door of a Puma service station in Mango Hill in the early hours of morning on July 5, and stole money and cigarettes.
Sgt Dick noted all of Sandow’s offending, except for the enter premises, occurred while he was on a suspended sentence for an assault occasioning bodily harm offence.
Defence lawyer Paddy O’Donnell said, given his client’s four months in presentence custody, it would be appropriate to give him another suspended sentence.
“He committed these offences while on a suspended sentence,” Mr Schubert responded.
“You’re suggesting that I can deter him from other offending by giving him another suspended sentence?
“I’ve got to give a sentence that deters people and deters other people in the community. I fail to see how such a sentence would address that.”
Mr Schubert noted Sandow had a previous drug driving offence in July 2021, along with seven speeding offences and two unlicensed driving offences prior to July 2022.
He said the timing of those offences coincided with the period of time in which Sandow had admitted to using methamphetamine.
He noted Sandow had abstained from illicit substances for the past six months and participated in a QAIAS drug rehabilitation program since his release on bail in December last year.
“It appears from your own words that your time in custody was beneficial to you and helped you be a ‘stronger man’,” Mr Schubert quoted Sandow’s words from the trial.
He further noted Sandow had been failing “terribly” as a parent at the time of his offending, but now wished to be a better role model for his two children.
Sandow received a 12 month head sentence, with 117 days presentence custody declared time-served, and immediate parole release.
He also received multiple licence disqualifications for his traffic offences – the longest being a two year disqualification for the evasion offence.
Mr Schubert chose not to activate Sandow’s previous suspended sentence, but extended its operational period by 12 months.
“Make the most of this opportunity and the support you have,” Mr Schubert told Sandow.
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