Page Dargin to face court after wounding Dubbo officer with her car

Page Marie Dargin of Arthur Summons Street appeared before Dubbo Local Court on February 16. She pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended licence and using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention.

The 33-year-old's case has now been transferred to Dubbo District Court for committal. Dargin is currently on bail and will be required to attend court on April 3.

Gabrielle Cornett from the Director of Police Prosecutions said the parties had been negotiating "minor facts" of the incident for some time. Though they were at "loggerheads", agreed facts were tendered on February 16 and four "serious charges" were dropped.

The incident occurred on April 6 last year. Police said two constables were going north on Yarrandale Road at 1.

30am when they saw Dargin's dark coloured Ford Falcon with a broken front headlight. It was travelling in the opposite direction.

Police took a U-turn to stop the vehicle and inquire about the faulty headlight. As they made the turn, the Falcon increased its speed and made a sharp left onto Merrilea Road.

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Police saw the vehicle continue to drive over the 50 km/h speed limit and tried to catch up with it. The Falcon turned onto a highway, made an immediate turn, and at this point police lost sight of the vehicle.

Constables continued to patrol the area but could not find the vehicle, they also did not know who the driver was at the time. After an hour, police saw the vehicle entering the Coles service station at the intersection of Whylandra and Victoria streets. Dargin was seen getting out of her vehicle.

A short time later, she drove out of the station going north on Whylandra Street when police activated their warning lights and the Falcon came to a stop.

Both constables approached the vehicle, one spoke to Dargin while the other ran checks on the Falcon. Checks revealed Dargin had been on bail and was subject to a curfew. One of the constables confirmed her license was suspended.

"What, I thought that wasn't until April, I mean like 20th sorry?," Dargin told the officer who said it had expired on April 6.

She then told police she came to the store to buy tampons.

However, the constable said she was under arrest for breach of bail and driving while suspended. She was told to exit the vehicle but she refused.

Police said Dargin made excuses for why she would not step out. She said she was COVID positive. She asked police to wait while her mother brought her a jumper to hide blood stains on her pants, but police told her she could get it at the police station.

Dargin grew hostile and called the constable a "rude c--t". She was warned she would be forcefully removed if she did not comply.

"Don't drag me out, I'm pregnant," she said.

Police said she would be charged with resisting arrest.

"Well do that," she replied.

When the constable grabbed her right arm to pull Dargin out of the vehicle, she pulled her arm free, and started the vehicle's engine. The constable then reached over the driver's door to try to twist the key into off position.

At the same time, the car door shut on the constable's upper right arm and he was dragged as the vehicle moved forward. Dargin began to speed and the constable's feet dragged on the ground.

"What are you doing, f---ing stop," he said as he used his left hand to grab hold of the door and pull his feet up. As she kept driving, the constable's legs intermittently drag and drop along the road.

When the pressure on his arm reduced he yanked it out and pushed his body away from the car. The constable landed on his back, he slid and rolled a number of times before coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

A taxi driving on the opposite side captured the incident on its dash camera.

The constable called an ambulance and was taken to Dubbo hospital, his body worn camera also recorded the incident.

A medical certificate confirmed the constable sustained superficial grazes on his elbows and kneecap. He had bruising on his right bicep and a swollen right knee where he previously had surgery done. Hospital records showed his meniscus had been partially re-torn but did not require surgery.

Dargin visited a hospital in Orange on April 14 where she was arrested on April 19.

Later that month, 75 cubic centimetres of clear yellow fluid was aspirated from the constable's knee. The court heard his injury would require rehabilitative treatment including regular physiotherapy.

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