‘You want to play with the big boys?’: SA cops stand trial for alleged assault of teenager

The victim of an alleged police assault on the Eyre Peninsula has told an Adelaide court that he feared for his life during the 2013 ordeal.

Andrew Allen Jaunay, 42, and Sean Gregory Hobbs, 33, are facing trial in the Adelaide Magistrates Court charged over the alleged October 2013 assault of then 17-year-old Matthew Odgers.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to assault.

Giving evidence, Mr Odgers said he was on a court-issued curfew at the time, which required him to be home by 10:00pm.

He said three police officers stopped him at 9:30pm as he walked to a friend’s house, but they initially stayed in the car.

“I just laughed like ‘what do you mean? I’m just walking down the street’.”

Alleged victim details police search

Mr Odgers told the court the three officers then got out of the car and one of them searched him.

He admitted police found a “cone pipe” — used to smoke marijuana — on him, but he told the officer that it belonged to a friend.

Mr Odgers told the court that police issued him with a drug diversion notice, which required him to attend drug counselling.

“I asked [the officers] if it’s OK if I go,” he said.

He said a policeman — who he described to the court as being the “the bald officer” — hit him and said, “you can f***ing leave when I tell you to leave”.

The alleged victim told the court that the same officer then yelled at him “you think you’re tough? You want to play with the big boys” to which he laughed “out of shock”.

“That’s when he struck me, with his right hand … with enough force to knock me back and roll onto the ground,” he said.

Court heard alleged bashing was recorded

My Odgers then broke down as he described calling his mother from the scene.

“As the phone call ended, I was yelling and screaming ‘I’m being assaulted’,” he told the court.

He said the “bald officer” put his hand around his throat and was “…yelling at me, telling me to shut up…”.

The trial continues.