Col Blanch attended Reagan Chown’s sentencing on Thursday, afterwards saying he thought those who killed police officers should face a mandatory murder charge.
Col Blanch attended Reagan Chown’s sentencing on Thursday, afterwards saying he thought those who killed police officers should face a mandatory murder charge.
By Rebecca Peppiatt
July 3, 2025 — 1.16pm
The man responsible for taking the life of “hero cop” Anthony Woods has been jailed for 15½ years, with WA’s police commissioner calling for mandatory murder charges when an officer is killed in the line of duty.
Reagan Chown, 25, ran over the 28-year-old constable after evading police in a stolen car in 2023.
Woods told Chown, who was high on methamphetamine at the time of the incident, to “stay where you are” after he was cornered in a cul-de-sac.
The officer opened the driver’s door, attempting to apprehend Chown, who then threw the vehicle into reverse and stepped on the accelerator, causing Woods to become trapped underneath.
Chown tried to argue it was the deployment of Woods’ Taser that caused him to accidently put his foot on the accelerator and run him over, but while sentencing him on Thursday, Justice Joseph McGrath said he did not accept that explanation.
He said Chown was not a “credible or reliable witness to events”.
“Your course of conduct was set and that course of conduct was done consciously and deliberately,” McGrath said.
Chown was on bail at the time he killed Woods for allegedly being in possession of – and intending to sell – cocaine.
The court heard the FIFO worker had struggled with working away and the time off in between swings, which led him down the path of drug addiction.
Outside court, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch welcomed the judge’s findings, but added that he would be speaking to the government about seeking mandatory murder charges when a police officer has been killed.
“We charged him with murder,” Blanch said, referring to a later decision to downgrade Chown’s charge to manslaughter.
“I will be asking the government to be having a look at the laws. I think murder should stand in these cases.
“When you are a criminal, behaving criminally, evading police and killing a police officer … I think it’s important I have those conversations.”
Blanch referred to what he called “an eerily similar” 1993 case in the death of WA Police officer Stephen Knight, who died in the line of duty.
“The person that unlawfully killed [Knight] was sentenced to eight years, and he only served five years,” the commissioner said.
“I think it’s a law that needs to be looked at, and I will be requesting that of the government.
“I’m not a lawyer, but I am a police officer that leads over 7000 police officers and over 10,000 staff all up. The community of Western Australia would expect that I would ask this of government.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said he understood the commissioner’s views and vowed to work with the top cop.
“We are all angry that Anthony Woods is not with us today,” Cook said.
“He was one of the blue family. He was a great police officer … and it’s devastating for the community and for that family in particular, this has happened.”
Cook said Chown’s sentence “seems like a drastically short period of time, but I know they take into account the full set of circumstances”.
Ahead of the sentencing, Woods’ mum Natalie delivered a moving victim impact to the court where she remembered her son as someone who was “so full of energy and ambition”.
“He was definitely going to be someone … whatever he did he had great passion,” she said.
“He was larger than life, but his love for his family was always number one.”
She said her “beautiful son” was “doing his duty and protecting his community” when his “future was taken away”.
“To be without him has caused a lot of struggles for myself,” she said.
“I suffer with depression and PTSD. I get anxiety … I am medicated, and I recount how many times I can see him under the vehicle.”
During Chown’s trial in May, which Natalie attended, the court was shown body-worn camera footage from Woods’ police partner of the incident, which left the 28-year-old trapped under the stolen vehicle while Chown and his co-offenders were being apprehended.
Chown was sentenced to a total of 15½ years for three charges – 14½ years for manslaughter, two years for reckless driving, reduced to 12 months, and 12 months for stealing a motor vehicle.
He will also be disqualified from driving for four years starting from the date of his release from prison.
He was made eligible for parole after 13½ years served, and his sentence was backdated two years for time already served in custody.
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Rebecca Peppiatt – is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in crime and courts.Connect via email.