SYDNEY, Australia – A man who reached for a clove of garlic as a first line of defense against a traffic offense has breathed new life into arguments over what constitutes assault.

Local media reported yesterday that Jeff Pearce was convicted of assault in a Perth court after admitting he had deliberately chewed a clove of garlic and then breathed in a police officers face after being pulled over for a traffic violation.

A section of the local criminal code defines assault as the direct or indirect application of force, including gas or odour, in such a manner as to cause personal discomfort.

Mr. Pearce testified in court that a friend told him the best way to repel police was to chew garlic and breath on them.

Mr. Pearce then kept a clove of garlic on the dashboard of his car for just such an occasion.

But when Mr. Pearce was pulled over by police for a smoking exhaust, the garlic did not prevent his arrest for drunk driving.

He was later charged with assaulting Const. Darren Horn, who told the court he had long endured such jibes as a clove a day keeps the coppers away.

Reuters (from The Ottawa Citizen, April 19, 1997)