news, crime, Eliott Fleet
An unemployed drug user charged with escaping arrest has been tackled to the ground after attempting to flee a courtroom. Special ACT Magistrate Margaret Hunter was explaining to Eliott John Fleet on Friday why she’d decided not to grant him bail. Mr Fleet got up and walked towards the door to the court cells part-way through, then – when his lawyer said the proceedings weren’t over – he sat back down. A few minutes later, he threw a tissue box in the magistrate’s direction. He started for the court exit and lashed out at corrections officers and a police officer, who tackled him to the ground where he yelled: “I didn’t f—ing do anything.” Mr Fleet threatened to bite one of the people restraining him, and urged the court to “guess” what he would do if the officers took him down to the cells. After he was escorted away, the police officer who had helped take Mr Fleet down nursed his knee with an ice pack. Police documents were tendered to the court on Friday that alleged Mr Fleet, 32, was in breach of a court order when he was at a Moncrieff house on January 6. The documents said after officers knocked on the door of the house, they saw Mr Fleet jump over its rear fence. Neighbours later told police they’d seen him run through their backyards. The documents said officers came back to the house the next day and knocked on the door again. This time, Mr Fleet opened it and said words to the effect he wasn’t in breach of a court order, before he grabbed a bong and a lighter “and proceeded to inhale and exhale it”. The documents said a child was standing next to Mr Fleet at the time and, after officers grabbed the bong, they told the 32-year-old for a second time he was under arrest. The documents said Mr Fleet broke free of police – they said the momentum caused a female officer to fall to the ground and hit a cupboard – and ran about 50 metres. Officers managed to catch up with Mr Fleet and Tasered him. In court on Friday, after Mr Fleet had been escorted back down to the court cells and formally refused bail, the magistrate remarked: “It seems to me that I’ve made the right decision in that regard.” She said Mr Fleet’s next court appearance was scheduled for February 2.
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An unemployed drug user charged with escaping arrest has been tackled to the ground after attempting to flee a courtroom.
Special ACT Magistrate Margaret Hunter was explaining to Eliott John Fleet on Friday why she’d decided not to grant him bail.
Mr Fleet got up and walked towards the door to the court cells part-way through, then – when his lawyer said the proceedings weren’t over – he sat back down.
A few minutes later, he threw a tissue box in the magistrate’s direction.
He started for the court exit and lashed out at corrections officers and a police officer, who tackled him to the ground where he yelled: “I didn’t f—ing do anything.”
Mr Fleet threatened to bite one of the people restraining him, and urged the court to “guess” what he would do if the officers took him down to the cells.
After he was escorted away, the police officer who had helped take Mr Fleet down nursed his knee with an ice pack.
Police documents were tendered to the court on Friday that alleged Mr Fleet, 32, was in breach of a court order when he was at a Moncrieff house on January 6.
The documents said after officers knocked on the door of the house, they saw Mr Fleet jump over its rear fence. Neighbours later told police they’d seen him run through their backyards.
The documents said officers came back to the house the next day and knocked on the door again.
This time, Mr Fleet opened it and said words to the effect he wasn’t in breach of a court order, before he grabbed a bong and a lighter “and proceeded to inhale and exhale it”.
The documents said a child was standing next to Mr Fleet at the time and, after officers grabbed the bong, they told the 32-year-old for a second time he was under arrest.
The documents said Mr Fleet broke free of police – they said the momentum caused a female officer to fall to the ground and hit a cupboard – and ran about 50 metres.
Officers managed to catch up with Mr Fleet and Tasered him.
In court on Friday, after Mr Fleet had been escorted back down to the court cells and formally refused bail, the magistrate remarked: “It seems to me that I’ve made the right decision in that regard.”
She said Mr Fleet’s next court appearance was scheduled for February 2.
