‘Officer in chokehold’
Hospital worker granted bail
A TOWNSVILLE hospital worker has spent time behind bars after he allegedly put a female police officer in a chokehold and refused a roadside breath test.
Joy Joseph Kozhuvakandathil, 45, faced the Townsville Magistrates Court via video link from the Townsville Watch-house charged with a string of offences, including driving under the influence of liquor, failing to provide specimen as required of breath and seriously assaulting a police officer.
Duty lawyer Lorelei Billings appeared in the Townsville Magistrates Court late last month where she asked Magistrate Ken Taylor to grant Kozhuvakandathil bail on all charges.
Prosecutor Tasman Murphy said police opposed this on the grounds the defendant was at an unacceptable risk of committing further offences.
“He has essentially crashed his motor vehicle and refused to provide a sample of breath,” Mr Murphy said
“He has argued with police and has ended up putting a female police officer in what I can read to be a chokehold.
“Once he was back at the police station, he has again refused to supply a specimen of breath.”
The court was told Kozhuvakandathil did not have any criminal history in Queensland, but had been before the court for drink driving in 2016.
Ms Billings said her client, a married father of two, worked full-time as an operations service officer at the Townsville Hospital. She said the Indian national had lived in Australia for 14 years and was a citizen.
She rejected submissions from the prosecution that Kozhuvakandathil posed a risk of reoffending.
“He does dispute the allegations in regard to the assault,” she said.
“Given there is body-worn camera footage of the incident … I will be seeking the footage. He denies he drove the vehicle and that he was involved in the accident and states to me that will be heavily disputed.”
Magistrate Ken Taylor granted the application for bail with a no-alcohol condition.
“Drink driving alone is a serious offence, let alone the offence involving the police officers,” he said.
Kozhuvakandathil will be subject to random breath testing while on bail.