Australian men charged in separate flight and police assault incidents

A 21‑year‑old Australian was charged after allegedly assaulting a cabin crew member and a passenger on an international flight from Phuket to Melbourne on April 1. He was accused of shaking a female crew member’s shoulders and punching a passenger in the face, and was detained by cabin crew until Australian Federal Police officers arrived at the arrivals gate. He faces one count of assaulting aircraft crew (maximum 10 years) and one count of common assault (maximum two years) and is due to appear in Broadmeadows Magistrates Court.

In a separate incident in Brisbane, a 25‑year‑old man was charged after allegedly assaulting a senior constable while resisting arrest. Police said the man was armed with a piece of wood, threatened officers, threw the wood at them and climbed onto a police vehicle before fleeing. The senior constable was taken to hospital with injuries but was released. The man faces one count each of serious assault on a police officer causing bodily harm while armed and serious assault causing bodily harm.

Both cases illustrate the Australian Federal Police’s zero‑tolerance stance on assaults against crew and the Queensland Police Service’s response to violent attacks on officers.