It was supposed to be a run of the mill arrest on an outstanding warrant.
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But Shey-Lin Stenzel was having none of it.
One of the police officers had no sooner told the Coredeaux Heights parolee to turn and put his hands behind his back on the morning of Australia Day when the 27-year-old pushed the cop aside and took off down Hill 60 towards nearby bushland.
He hightailed it into the shrubbery, disappearing from view before the pursuing police officer could catch up.
The officers jumped in their vehicle and headed towards the intersection of Military Road and Cowper Street, confident they were in the right spot to catch their runaway.
Their inkling was rewarded a few minutes later when they saw Stenzel poke his head out of the rear yard of a nearby property.
Unfortunately, he noticed the police at the same time and again took off, with the officers in hot pursuit.
They chased him over multiple backyard fences before losing him again in nearby shrubbery.
He was eventually found half an hour later lying on the ground under thick bush.
Stenzel was charged with one count of escaping police custody.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to six months jail in Port Kembla court in March, however appealed the decision, claiming the penalty was too severe.
During the appeals hearing in Wollongong District Court on Friday, Stenzel’s lawyer, Paul Kenny, pulled no punches in describing his client’s actions that day.
“It was incredibly stupid, Your Honour,” Mr Kenny said plainly.
“He says he had a brain snap.”
Mr Kenny said Stenzel was hoping to get a few months shaved off his sentence so he could get out in timeto celebrate his child’s 1st birthday in July.
However, Judge Paul Conlon said he should have thought about that before he ran from the cops while on parole.
“When he committed this offence any consideration for his child was nowhere to be seen,” Judge Conlon said in dismissing the appeal.