A judge said because of the underfunding of mental health and drug and alcohol assessments she had no option but to send Joshua Luke Cooper to jail for stabbing a police dog.
Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish said he had mental health issues and was a drug addict, but even though a report for him was directed by a judge for today’s sentencing it was not actioned.
It would have given her details on his mental insight at the time of the stabbing, she said, and she gave Cooper leave to change an 18-month prison sentence to a home detention sentence if he was eligible for a residential treatment programme.
Cooper was sorry and remorseful for badly wounding the dog Kosmo, but luckily he survived, she said.
On May 31, Cooper, 29, was at his partner’s address in Kaiapoi when he tried to cut his wrists, so she called the police.
A police dog handler and Kosmo went to the address, but Cooper had already left armed with two knives.
The police officer found him and told him to stay still and that he had a dog with him. He released the dog when Cooper took off, and the dog detained him by latching on to his arm.
Cooper struggled with the dog and stabbed him in the neck, trying to get free.
Judge Farish said in the police officer’s victim impact report he said that if he had been closer when the stabbing happened Cooper could have been shot.
Kosmo fell to the ground where he was found about 20 minutes later and flown by helicopter to a Christchurch 24-hour veterinary surgery. He received a blood transfusion from another police dog and a 4cm cut to his throat, which narrowly missed his carotid artery, was treated.
Cooper’s pre-sentence report said he had been seeking out assistance for his addiction issues but had not been offered any help.
Judge Farish sentenced Cooper to prison for 18 months’ jail on charges of wounding Kosmo, unlawful possession of a knife in a public place, unlawfully being in a yard, failing to attend a stopping violence programme, unlawfully being in a car, and a breach of the Medicines Act.
She said at the time of the stabbing Cooper was in a very distressed state, and had a chaotic, unstable life with drug addictions.
