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Man guilty of police officer punch

Tim EdmundsAlbany Advertiser
Albany detectives attend the home the next day after the incident.
Camera IconAlbany detectives attend the home the next day after the incident. Credit: Albany Advertiser

An Albany man has been found guilty of assaulting a police officer with an “uppercut” punch at an out-of-control party in Albany two years ago.

The Albany District Court jury delivered the guilty verdict against Lincoln Colbung this evening after deliberating on their verdict throughout the afternoon following the four-day trial.

Colbung had denied the charge of assaulting a public officer under prescribed circumstances which injured Detective Senior Constable Aaron Reichstein at the home in Orana on November 2, 2017.

During the trial, Constable Ben Atherton told the jury he saw Colbung punch his colleague Det. Reichstein from behind with his right fist, sparking an immediate response to arrest him.

Detective Reichstein suffered bleeding to his eyeball and lacerations above and below his eye which stopped him working for three days.

Det Sen Const Reichstein and four other officers had gone to the house to arrest another man who lived at the home on suspicion of carrying an axe and causing fear in a nearby street earlier in the day, before the incident escalated.

Const. Atherton said Det. Reichstein was pointing his taser at the scuffle on the floor when he saw Mr Colbung punch him with his right fist in an uppercut motion.

The alleged assault was not captured on mobile phone footage which circulated on social media.

Colbung was remanded in custody to be sentenced tomorrow morning.

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