Greenfields man jailed for biting police officer

Paul-Lee Benidict Ugle-Pickett, 27, appeared in the Mandurah Magistrates Court on Friday via Hakea Prison after pleading guilty to six charges including stealing a motor vehicle and disorderly behaviour in a police station. 

Magistrate Anne Longden told the court the father-of-two was "overcome with temptation" when he stole a car, which had the engine running and keys in the ignition, at a Greenfields liquor store car park on July 4, 2018. 

Read More: Mandurah man charged with Cooper Street murder

Following the theft, police prosecutor Tamara Read told the court Ugle-Pickett drove into the driver's side door of another car before fleeing on foot, running to nearby bushland. 

Shortly after, police arrested Ugle-Pickett and took him to Mandurah Police Station, where he yelled abuse at officers. 

Senior Constable Read said Ugle-Pickett threw a chair at the interview-room wall before a handful of officers attempted to restrain him.

An officer restrained Ugle-Pickett by holding his arm behind his back and securing his torso on the table. 

Senior Constable Read said the victim, who had his left hand under Ugle-Pickett's head, felt him bite down on his knuckles. 

The victim punched Ugle-Pickett in his head.

Senior Constable Read said the officer suffered bleeding, redness and swelling from the five to seven millimetre deep lacerations on his hand. 

The victim was made to have a blood test to check for infectious diseases. 

Ms Longden said Ugle-Pickett suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had issues with alcohol, cannabis and methamphetamine. 

She said the penalty would reflect the serious nature of the offending. 

"Any offence of assaulting an officer is serious," Ms Longden said. 

"This is why a mandatory sentence is required."

Ugle-Pickett was sentenced to eight months’ prison and fined $2000.

His sentence was backdated to July 4, 2018 to take in to account time spent in custody. 

The Mandurah Mail reported in October 2018 that 18 serious assaults on Mandurah police officers had been reported to the WA Police Union in less than two years, with local officer in charge Senior Sergeant Darren Hart saying it was an “unfortunate reality” of policing.