Man accused of assaulting arresting officer

Wanted by police for hacking his ex-partner’s social media account, Daniel Shaun Clout allegedly assaulted the arresting officer before barricading himself in his bedroom.

Clout is alleged to have then filmed police as they pushed their way into his room.

The New Plymouth man has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of aggravated assault on police, resisting police and contravening a protection order.

His jury trial in the New Plymouth District Court began yesterday.

The charges arose from an incident which occurred last year and allegedly saw the defendant breach a protection order taken out by his former partner, with whom he has two children.

Crown prosecutor Jacob Bourke told the jury of six women and five men how Clout and his ex-partner had been in a relationship for about nine years. He said the pair split about January 2017, and a protection ordered was imposed not long after.

On July 24, 2017, Clout appeared in court where he was discharged without conviction for a breach of the order after going to the woman’s address while she was not home, Bourke said.

The next day the victim received an email from Facebook advising there had been a request to change the password to her account. A second email confirmed the password had been successfully changed.

It stated the email address used to change the password belonged to Clout, so the victim made a complaint to police soon after.

The following day police phoned Clout and requested he come into the station to answer questions regarding the alleged breach, which Bourke described as psychological abuse.

‘‘The defendant refuses to do so,’’ Bourke said. ‘‘So, later that evening police go out to find him, they go to his address.’’

Clout was again asked to attend the station to make a statement, but he refused.

The officer told him he was under arrest for the breach. Clout then allegedly pushed the officer, and slammed and locked the door.

The defendant then barricaded himself in his bedroom while police, who were let in the house by another tenant, appealed for him to come out.

‘‘Eventually the police had to push the door open and they managed to finally get in,’’ Bourke said.

‘‘They saw the defendant had a cellphone out.’’

He said Clout had been filming police.

The defendant resisted police attempts to handcuff him but after a struggle he was successfully restrained.

Bourke planned to call Clout’s ex-partner to give evidence in the trial, during which she would describe the distress he had caused her, he said.

Police officers involved in the arresting incident would also be called.

Defence lawyer Megan Boyd said the trial was ‘‘reasonably complex for a number of reasons’’.

She said Clout had some explanation around the alleged acts committed by him.

He also relied on a defence of lack of intention in relation to certain aspects of each charge, she said.

The trial, which has been set down for three days, will continue today.