
Man tried to mow down cop with car: court
Mr Dullard was due to enter his pleas on Monday morning to the allegation he tried to murder Brevet Sergeant Mark Woods during a routine traffic stop in March last year.
Police allege Mr Dullard, from Victoria, struck Sergeant Woods with his vehicle on the Barrier Highway at Ucolta, about 250km north of Adelaide, and then fled the scene.
A police chopper tracked him for 45 minutes before police apprehended him.
Sergeant Woods, based at Orroroo, suffered non life-threatening injuries in the alleged hit-and-run and paramedics flew him to Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment. Matthew James Dullard is charged with the attempted murder of a police officer. NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia
Police have charged Mr Dullard with attempted murder, aggravated endangering life, causing harm by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident after causing harm by careless driving.
In his earlier appearances, the court was told the 43-year-old man had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2019.
He initially refused to co-operate with either the police or any legal representation.
On Monday, Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton KC asked Justice Julie McIntyre to adjourn the matter for two weeks, telling her he needed time to query a doctor about their report into Mr Dullard's mental competence. South Australian police officer Mark Woods suffered non life-threatening injuries in the alleged hit-and-run. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia
'I've considered the report … I have a number of questions for the doctor,' he said.
'I don't know yet whether in light of the answers to those questions I'll be seeking a further report or will determine to concede mental incompetence.'
Mr Dullard's defence team did not oppose the request and Justice McIntyre listed July 21 for Mr Dullard's arraignment.
Justice McIntyre allowed Mr Dullard to appear by telephone for his next appearance.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Moment graffiti duo outruns police on video
A pair of vandals has been caught on video chasing down a train, spray-painting one of its carriages, and then fleeing from police by scaling a fence. The footage, which has circulated widely on social media, has prompted a police investigation. The video, filmed by a passenger on board the train, was uploaded to social media pages under the name Logan Graffiti, titled: 'Better luck next time.' Two masked vandals run alongside a moving train, clutching spray cans as they race to tag the carriage before police arrive. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia It shows two individuals, their faces covered and carrying what appear to be spray paint cans, running alongside the moving train. Both can be seen glancing over their shoulders as they sprint. When the train comes to a stop, one of the pair tags the side of a carriage while also appearing to film the act on their phone. Moments later, the duo scrambles over a fence as three police officers arrive in pursuit. The officers stop short of climbing the fence. Passengers on board the train can be heard reacting to the incident, with some chanting 'trespassers, trespassers.' 'Get outa here,' one woman yells. The pair is then seen running across a road and into a nearby residential area. The Queensland Police Service has confirmed the incident and said an investigation is underway. 'Queensland Police are investigating a graffiti and trespassing incident at Newmarket last week,' a spokesperson said. 'As the train stopped, two suspects have graffitied the left side of the train, before jumping over a nearby fence upon being challenged by police. 'They then ran across Newmarket Road and fled through a number of properties.' The Logan Graffiti social media pages frequently post photos and videos of graffiti on trains, railway infrastructure, and nearby walls.


West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Erin Patterson spends first night in prison as convicted killer
After enduring her first night in prison as a convicted triple murderer , Erin Patterson might spend the rest of her days behind bars. The 50-year-old mother of two was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday after a long trial. Her estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and aunty Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after Patterson served them beef Wellington parcels laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson was the sole survivor. There was a shout of 'murderer' as Patterson was driven out of the court precinct to prison in Melbourne on Monday evening. The jury's guilty verdicts came seven days after they were sent away to deliberate and 11 weeks into the trial in the Victorian town of Morwell. Brianna Chesser, a clinical forensic psychologist and criminal lawyer, said she was not surprised by the outcome. She argued Patterson's testimony across eight days on the witness stand, as well as circumstantial evidence , likely proved critical to convincing the jury beyond reasonable doubt. 'Whenever you have any lies in a trial it is quite a difficult thing to overcome from a defence perspective,' the associate professor in criminology and justice at RMIT University told AAP. 'What came out regarding the mushrooms was almost insurmountable. 'When you've got particular searches on your phone and a dehydrator that you had and didn't have, it really speaks to the unusualness of the circumstances.' The story had captivated the world because of the method, as well as the now-convicted murderer being a woman when the vast majority of homicides were perpetrated by men, Dr Chesser said. Patterson faces a sentence of life in prison for the three murders and one attempted murder and is expected to return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025. Options for appeal were usually restricted to points of law, a 'massive' error in fact or new evidence, Dr Chesser said. 'It's going to be quite a large sentence,' she said. 'We've heard during the cross-examination and examination in chief that there are some mental health concerns for Ms Patterson. 'That may well act a mitigating factor in any sort of sentence. 'We're also dealing with someone who's a middle-aged woman who has never offended before in their life and we've got four of the most serious crimes in Victoria being committed.' Within hours of the verdict, the Supreme Court released dozens of pieces of evidence that helped prosecutors secure the convictions. They included photos showing remnants of beef Wellington leftovers as they were tested by toxicologists, after police found them inside a bin at Patterson's home A video of Patterson discharging herself from Leongatha Hospital minutes after she had arrived was also released, while images of her at the hospital revealed a pink phone police say they never recovered. Prosecutors said this was Patterson's primary phone in 2023 and claimed she had used it to find death cap mushrooms online.


Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Erin Patterson spends first night in prison as convicted killer
Erin Patterson found guilty of three counts of murder. After enduring her first night in prison as a convicted triple murderer, Erin Patterson might spend the rest of her days behind bars. The 50-year-old mother of two was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday after a long trial. Her estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and aunty Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after Patterson served them beef Wellington parcels laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson was the sole survivor. There was a shout of 'murderer' as Patterson was driven out of the court precinct to prison in Melbourne on Monday evening. The jury's guilty verdicts came seven days after they were sent away to deliberate and 11 weeks into the trial in the Victorian town of Morwell. Brianna Chesser, a clinical forensic psychologist and criminal lawyer, said she was not surprised by the outcome. She argued Patterson's testimony across eight days on the witness stand, as well as circumstantial evidence, likely proved critical to convincing the jury beyond reasonable doubt. 'Whenever you have any lies in a trial it is quite a difficult thing to overcome from a defence perspective,' the associate professor in criminology and justice at RMIT University told AAP. 'What came out regarding the mushrooms was almost insurmountable. 'When you've got particular searches on your phone and a dehydrator that you had and didn't have, it really speaks to the unusualness of the circumstances.' The story had captivated the world because of the method, as well as the now-convicted murderer being a woman when the vast majority of homicides were perpetrated by men, Dr Chesser said. Patterson faces a sentence of life in prison for the three murders and one attempted murder and is expected to return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025. Options for appeal were usually restricted to points of law, a 'massive' error in fact or new evidence, Dr Chesser said. 'It's going to be quite a large sentence,' she said. 'We've heard during the cross-examination and examination in chief that there are some mental health concerns for Ms Patterson. 'That may well act a mitigating factor in any sort of sentence. 'We're also dealing with someone who's a middle-aged woman who has never offended before in their life and we've got four of the most serious crimes in Victoria being committed.' Within hours of the verdict, the Supreme Court released dozens of pieces of evidence that helped prosecutors secure the convictions. They included photos showing remnants of beef Wellington leftovers as they were tested by toxicologists, after police found them inside a bin at Patterson's home A video of Patterson discharging herself from Leongatha Hospital minutes after she had arrived was also released, while images of her at the hospital revealed a pink phone police say they never recovered. Prosecutors said this was Patterson's primary phone in 2023 and claimed she had used it to find death cap mushrooms online.