Corrections officer allegedly stomped on man's head, tried to run him over

A corrections officer allegedly launched a brutal daylight attack on a man, which took the intervention of bystanders to stop, before threatening to kill him and his family and then trying to run him over with his car.

Region has chosen not to name the man who was refused bail by the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday (25 November) after Magistrate Ian Temby said the allegations described “a severe and sustained attack, a brazen attack in public which involved a significant level of violence”.

The court heard it alleged that a man and woman were sitting in a car parked at Pine Island Reserve in Greenway after 5 pm on Sunday (24 November) when the officer, who knew the woman, walked up to them.

He allegedly reached into the car and punched the man in the face 10 to 15 times, then pulled him from the vehicle before continuing to hit him in the face.

The officer also allegedly kicked and stomped on the man’s head as he lay on the ground.

Three bystanders saw the alleged attack and intervened, but after the officer stopped, he allegedly yelled at the man, “I’m going to kill you in front of your family, and then I’m going to kill them too”.

It is alleged he walked away but got into his car and sped towards his alleged victim, forcing the latter to evade the vehicle before it crashed into a boulder.

The officer allegedly fled, and police arrived to find the man with severe injuries to his face, which was covered in blood.

Magistrate Temby said the extra context to the allegations was that the man claimed the officer had been stalking him for the previous five weeks, such as by threatening him on social media.

The man alleged that on the day of the attack, the officer had told him he was going “to come after” his family, which resulted in his family fleeing their home for a time.

The officer was charged with assault, threatening to kill a person and attempting to use an offensive weapon before he applied for bail on Monday.

Michael Kukulies-Smith of Kamy Saeedi Law said his client had no relevant criminal history and there had never been a previous allegation of violence made against him.

He said the allegations stood “very much as out of character for this individual” and said no charges had been laid over the alleged victim’s claims of stalking.

Mr Kukulies-Smith also said that his client, who has worked as a corrections officer for 12 years, expected he would face a period of suspension from his job during the legal proceedings.

Prosecutor Corinne Kennedy, who opposed bail, said that despite the presence of the bystanders, the officer had continued to act in a way that was “violent and scary”.

She said police had reported that the alleged victim had “grave concerns about the safety of himself and family”.

Magistrate Temby said the question of bail was “a difficult one”, partly as he accepted that due to his job, being remanded in custody would be more onerous to him.

However, he noted the alleged apparent build-up of threats over the prior five weeks, which were then allegedly carried out on Sunday.

The magistrate also alleged that while the initial attack was only stopped by the intervention of strangers, the officer then still threatened to kill the man, which was a threat that was consistent with him driving at speed towards his alleged victim.

Magistrate Temby said the consequences of the officer carrying out more alleged threats could be “catastrophic” and refused bail before adjourning the matter to 9 January.

Mr Kukulies-Smith said his client would enter pleas of not guilty.