Man sentenced for homophobic attack on police officer at St Leonards

A homeless man has been ordered to do community work following a homophobic attack on a police officer according to a court document.
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Joel O’Hara, 25, of no fixed address, indicated a plea of guilty to assaulting a police officer when he appeared at Hastings Magistrates Court on February 20.

The offence took place at Buckingham Road, St Leonards, on January 17.

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Magistrates found that the offence was aggravated due to hostility based on the presumed sexual orientation of the victim.

Court news. NNL-160706-163936001Court news. NNL-160706-163936001
Court news. NNL-160706-163936001

The court made a community order with a requirement of 150 hours of unpaid work. The sentence was uplifted from 120 hours to note the homophobic

element.