Attacked officer “let down and unsupported” by lenient sentence

31 May 2018

AN ESSEX Police Officer who had his wrist fractured making an arrest has hit out at the leniency the courts showed to his attacker – saying he feels “incredibly let down and unsupported.”

PC Chris Daves was attending a suspected domestic abuse case when the assault occurred. The injuries he sustained left him unable to drive, had a big impact on his family life and left him on desk duties.

Despite the aggressive nature of the attack his assailant, who admitted to being on cocaine at the time, was fined £20, ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and was told to pay PC Daves £200 in compensation.

He had admitted the charge of resisting arrest at court.

“He had probably spent more on cocaine that night than he had to pay in fines,” PC Daves said.

“I had attended the incident and had to deal with his girlfriend who was very emotional and intoxicated and managed to track him down to a flat.

“That was when he got repeatedly violent and I had to grapple with him to get him under arrest. I got him into cuffs, but he pushed against me and it was during the melee that I hurt my hand which was later diagnosed as a wrist fracture, an injury I’ve had before.

“It’s had a massive impact on me personally, I’ve been left unable to drive as I’ve been in a cast and it’s stopped me from doing things with my kids, not to mention the impact it’s had on my work life.”

PC Daves added that his assailant used his time in court to complain that the arrest made his expensive jacket muddy.

“It was just unbelievable,” he said.

“As police officers we go out and put ourselves in danger and peril to protect the public and the courts aren’t even backing us up. I feel incredibly let down and unsupported by them.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Steve Taylor was furious with the sentence given out.

“This offender was given a fine which probably totalled less than he spent getting intoxicated before he committed the assault on our colleague,” he said.

“What kind of a deterrent did the bench think this sentence would send?

“An assault on a police officer is an assault on our society itself, and this sanction evidences why we need to better protect the protectors – with legislative change.”