Sent to prison for choking officer

A MAN who choked a police officer who had asked him to get off a bus in Glenorchy will spend time behind bars.

Shane Andrew Fazackerley, 40, of Claremont, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Hobart yesterday to assaulting a police officer and to two lesser charges, of resisting police and failing to take reasonable precautions with a syringe.

The court heard Fazackerley boarded a bus in Glenorchy about 6pm on September 20 last year.

“You were behaving in an erratic and alarming way,” Justice Robert Pearce said.

Justice Pearce said police were called and two female officers arrived soon after. He said the assault occurred when Fazackerley wrapped his arm around an officer’s neck and used his other arm to punch her to the upper body.

“Both officers sustained minor grazes and bruises,” Justice Pearce said. “Assaults of this nature can be extremely frightening even for police officers … Choking is a particularly frightening form of attack.”

He said Fazackerley was heavily affected by methamphetamine at the time.

Fazackerley’s lawyer Pip Monk said her client had been a law-abiding citizen for most of his life, but five or six years ago he stopped working and a long-term relationship broke down which led to him abusing drugs.

Ms Monk said Fazackerley also lost his father not long before the offending.

“Mr Fazackerley recognises the impact that drugs have had on his life in the past few years,” she said.

“He recognises that there is a need for help, and he wants that help … He really wants to get back to the person he was before.”

She also said the “violent behaviour on this day was out of character for him”.

Justice Pearce sentenced Fazackerley to 15 months’ jail, backdated to April to take into account time he has already spent in custody.

He will be able to apply for parole after serving eight months.