A Government House police security officer has been hospitalised after escorting a man — who jumped the perimeter fence — off the grounds of the Governor’s Adelaide residence.
Key points:
- Officers found the Melbourne man lying in a garden bed along the southern wall of the grounds
- The 30-year-old allegedly struck a security officer in the face while being escorted off the premises
- The officer was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with injuries to his eye and nose
SA Police said the security officer conducting patrols saw the man jump the King William Road fence into Government House grounds just after 11:30pm on Thursday.
Officers found the Melbourne man, 30, lying in a garden bed along the southern wall of the grounds, and directed him to leave.
While the police security officer was escorting the man off the premises, the man became aggressive, police said.
“He has allegedly become argumentative and turned around and struck the Police Security officer causing an injury to his eye, nose and right side of his face,” a police statement said.
The security officer was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and underwent scans to confirm the extent of his injury.
A Government House spokesperson said in a statement that South Australia’s Governor Frances Adamson was in residence at the time of the incident.
“Standard protective security procedures enabled the intruder to be quickly apprehended in the grounds,” the statement said.
“Her Excellency has sent her good wishes to the officer who was injured in the incident.”
The Melbourne man has been charged with being unlawfully on premises and assaulting a prescribed emergency service worker.
He was refused police bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.
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