Driver crashed, attacked police

A CORIO man kicked a police officer in the chest and punched another in the face when they tried to arrest him for crashing his car into a Cox Rd house.

Simmon Dahn was drunk when he crashed through the living room and kitchen in his efforts to beat a red light about 4am on July 2.

The Geelong Magistrates’ Court was told yesterday a woman and a toddler had been in the living room just minutes before the crash.

Dahn, 36, an abattoir worker originally from Liberia, had been drinking with friends at a function that night, and was then refused entry to the Sphinx Hotel because of his intoxicated state.

The court heard he lost control of his vehicle at the intersection of Thompson and Cox roads after accelerating to avoid a red light.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Kylie Jane said that after checking on the residents, Dahn advised them to call police. But when they arrived he quickly became aggressive, kicking one officer in the chest and punching another to the face.

The man also refused to be breath-tested, telling one of the officers, “I’m going to break your f---ing nose.”

Dahn’s lawyer told the court her client was a permanent Australian resident, but a jail sentence could compromise his immigration status.

She said Dahn rarely drank alcohol and had made a series of poor decisions that night.

Magistrate John Lesser said the defendant’s actions were “appalling”, noting “the consequences of this accident could have been catastrophic”.

But he noted the man’s good prior history and community support. He sentenced Dahn to complete 180 hours of unpaid community work as part an 18-month corrections order, and banned him from driving for two years.