Whiskey drunk Waroona man ‘rugby tackled’ cops

Two police officers were injured after being “rugby tackled” by an intoxicated Waroona man in his mother’s house on Boxing Day. Cody William Edward Moroney-Bell pleaded guilty to obstructing public officers when he faced Harvey Magistrate’s Court last week. Magistrate Ben Tyeres said although the charge was obstructing public officers, what Moroney-Bell had done was “essentially assault”. The court heard police attended Moroney-Bell’s mother’s Waroona home on December 26 to investigate reports of family violence. Prosecutor Sgt Darren Clifton said the house had smashed walls and was in “complete disarray”. The two officers asked to enter, however Moroney-Bell refused and blocked them at the entry. The 26-year-old then began to “rugby tackle” police for five minutes and both officers sustained injuries. One officer had cuts and bruises and the other ended up in hospital with a dislocated thumb and shoulder injury. The incident was caught on body cam and back-up was called. Moroney-Bell’s defence lawyer said Moroney-Bell had drunk two bottles of home-brewed whiskey before the incident. He then fell over in the shower. Moroney-Bell was taken to Peel Hospital after tackling the officers to undergo a psychiatric assessment. He had no recollection of the event. His lawyer said he was homeschooled, which he told the court “could have something to do with his mental health”. Magistrate Tyeres said “there is something going on with you and you’re trying to sort that out”. He sentenced Moroney-Bell to an eight-month community order with supervision.