Man nudged policeman with his car four times as dog shut down Hume Freeway

Christopher James Berry was agitated with a police officer at Glenrowan during the March 3 incident this year.

A dog had been running across the Hume Freeway, near the McDonald's rest sites, with fears a crash might occur.

Police were conducting traffic control when Berry drove up to a roadblock about 6.30pm.

He arrived at the southbound truck stop site in his Mitsubishi Pajero and told an officer he wanted to get back to his home.

The 59-year-old was told he had to stop but he refused to do so.

"No, I'm going through," he said.

A leading senior constable spoke to Berry, but he was adamant he didn't want to be delayed.

"I'm not waiting here for 10 minutes, I'm not," he said.

The officer stood in front of his car and Berry said he would run the man over if he didn't move.

"Can't be that urgent, it's only a dog," he said.

Berry was on his phone during the incident and was visibly agitated.

He drove his car back and forward multiple times, hitting the officer's leg several times with light contact.

He nudged into the police member with his bull bar.

"I gotta go mate," Berry said, before being told to stay and replying "Nup, I'm going now".

He blasted his horn at the officer in a bid to get him to move and was told to turn off his car.

"Nah, get f---ed, how does that sound?" Berry said.

The Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Monday, October 2, heard the vehicle struck the officer four times.

He was arrested and handcuffed and placed in a divisional van.

Magistrate Peter Dunn viewed video of the interaction in court.

"I'm embarrassed and ashamed to be honest with you," Berry told the court.

Prosecutor Stuart Pritchard described Berry's actions as using a "two to two-and-a-half tonne weapon" against an officer.

"You can't drive a vehicle at a member .. you just can't do this, your honour," he said.

Concerns were raised about Berry's previous anger towards authority, including a 2021 incident in which he was aggressive with police during the pandemic.

Mr Dunn noted there was minimal contact but said the Wangaratta South man had behaved appallingly.

"To be frank Mr Berry, you've behaved in a very irrational and overbearing manner and you've got no one to blame for this situation but yourself," he said.

Berry pleaded guilty to charges of intimidating police, assaulting police and using a mobile phone while driving.

"Like anybody, you, me, the police, Bob the butcher, it doesn't matter, they're all entitled to go to work and have people respect us and not abuse us," the magistrate said.

"The bottom line is you were wrong and they were right."

Mr Dunn did not impose a driving ban but ordered Berry pay a $5000 fine with costs.

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