Ashley Rei Paku jailed after Tumut police pursuit ends in knife threat on officer

Tumut man Ashley Rei Paku was sentenced in Wagga District Court on Friday after he was charged with a number of driving and assault offences over an incident in the town last year.

About 8.40pm on April 8, 2022, police were patrolling Pine Street in Tumut when Paku drove up behind them in a silver Holden Commodore.

Officers followed the 36-year-old, activating their sirens, and when he continued to accelerate, they started a pursuit.

Almost immediately, Paku veered into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle, injuring the female driver.

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He then fled on foot towards a nearby house as police gave chase.

One of the officers tackled him to the ground, but Paku gained the upper hand and, armed with a knife, he pressed it to the officer's neck and threatened "Let me go or I'll kill you".

The officer eventually grabbed Paku's right wrist to try and grab the knife, at which point he felt the blade slice his finger.

Police back-up was called and a further struggle ensued, during which Paku attempted to grab a gun from one of the officers, before he was eventually handcuffed.

A push dagger with a 15-centimetre blade was seized from Paku and a search of the car uncovered a glass ice pipe and clear resealable bags containing a crystal substance later identified as an illicit drug.

In March, Paku pleaded guilty in Wagga Local Court to six charges, including police pursuit - not stop - drive recklessly, driving furiously in a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty, wounding a police officer in the execution of duty, possessing a prohibited drug and using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention.

No pleas were entered to one count of driving a motor vehicle while suspended and one count of possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit.

A further 17 charges were withdrawn, with Paku sentenced in relation to the remaining eight charges in the District Court on Friday.

The court heard Paku, who appeared via video link, had been in custody since the incident and had already served almost 500 days behind bars.

Judge Pauline David ruled the police pursuit was towards the lower range of objective seriousness due to several factors, including the short distance travelled.

Judge David also ruled the charge of driving furiously in a motor vehicle causing bodily harm was towards the lower end, because the injuries suffered by the woman driving the other vehicle were "fortunately ... of a less serious kind".

She said the knife assault on the police officer was slightly below mid-range but acknowledged the officer "would have been terrified ... given the position Paku held over him".

However, Judge David said while the "threat of violence was real, the actual violence was limited".

"The offender didn't intentionally stab the officer," she said.

The judge found the "degree of violence was limited" and that Paku's "intention was to get away from police rather than to inflict serious injury on them".

Judge David said there were multiple aggravating factors in the case, including that Paku was on parole for Victorian offences as well as a community corrections order at the time of the offending.

However, she also found there were a number of mitigating factors, including that the offences appeared to be "impulsive" rather than "organised criminal activity".

The court heard Paku showed signs of remorse and had entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity.

Judge David noted Paku's troubled childhood and history of drug addiction, but said he had "achieved lengthy periods of remissions from [drugs] while in custody".

The court heard he has also struggled with his mental wellbeing.

Judge David found there were good prospects of rehabilitation and jailed Paku for two years and two months, with a non-parole period of 15 months.

The sentence was backdated to July 8, 2022, meaning Paku will be eligible for parole on October 7, 2023.

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