Police Officers speak of their disgust after man jailed for throwing a brick at an officer’s head let out days after sentencing

17 June 2026

Police Officers have spoken of their disgust after a man who was jailed for throwing a brick at an officer’s head was let out only days after he was sentenced for the crime.
 
PC Conor McIntyre was left bloodied, bruised and severely concussed after a brutal attack on him by serial criminal George Jacobs.
 
But after Jacobs was jailed in court for the crime - he walked free from prison 16 days later.
 
Now PC McIntyre and Lancashire Police Federation – the staff association representing police officers – have now hit out at the early release of the offender and asked what deterrent is there for assaulting the country’s cops?
 
“This news was a real kick in the teeth,” said PC McIntyre. “It has added insult to my injuries. This disgusting decision has given me no confidence in the justice system.
 
“I have been a police officer for nearly seven years. I love my job and I'm good at it, but this incident has caused me to re-evaluate my career as a constable.”
 
On the evening of Saturday 22 November 2025, PC McIntyre was patrolling Morecambe when he found an illegal electric bike. When he went to seize it, two men appeared and shouted at him, and one of them, Jacobs, started to wheel the bike into a flat. When PC McIntyre tried to grab it, Jacobs pushed and grappled with him, and the officer told him he was under arrest.
 
Jacobs ran off and PC McIntyre pursued him, but when he couldn’t locate him he returned to seize the e-bike. As he sat in his police car doing the paperwork, Jacobs suddenly returned and threw a brick through the driver’s window, striking PC McIntyre on the face; he suffered lacerations to his cheek and lip and a chipped tooth, and glass was embedded in his face and scratched his eye.
 
Despite being badly concussed, PC McIntyre managed to press his emergency button. He said: “Luckily my colleagues got there pretty quickly, but my recollection of that time is non-existent, really.”
 
An ambulance took PC McIntyre to hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. Thankfully, his eye was not permanently damaged, but he still has facial scars, and needs more dental work. He was signed off work and then put onto restricted duties, after which he returned to the frontline. He said of that time: “I've got a young daughter at home, and it was hard for her seeing how much of a mess my face was.”
 
Jacobs was arrested days after the attack and, at Preston Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and criminal damage.
 
PC McIntyre said: “I want to help people, protect victims and put those who don't belong on the streets away, but when my safety is put on the line and my ability to provide for my wife and daughter is jeopardised by such a cowardly act, it has made me feel like it’s no longer worth it.”
On 14 April this year, Jacobs was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, plus the five months he had already served on remand. It emerged that his criminal record totalled 70 previous offences. But within just 16 days of the custodial sentence, he was identified for early release.
 
PC McIntyre said: “The force and the Federation have been a brilliant support, and the force tried to push back on the offender being released. I told the Chief Inspector, and he was absolutely disgusted with it, so they tried to put some pressure on the prison, but it didn't work. That length of sentence is not much of a deterrent, plus he’s a serial offender.”
 
Lancashire Police Federation Chair Martin Midgley said: “This was a calculated assault on an officer sitting in a car. It was pre-meditated. There needs to be a clear message sent out that officers should not be assaulted just for doing their jobs – they are working in often dangerous environments, protecting the public.
 
“There were 48,888 assaults on UK Police Officers over the past year. An average of 134 every day. An Officer assaulted on average every 10 minutes. In Lancashire 389 police officers were assaulted last year.
 
“We need to protect our protectors and provide a visible and consistent deterrent against these despicable crimes. An attack on an officer is an attack on society.”
 
Martin concluded: “As well as the effect of these assaults on officers’ mental health, to then feel let down by the criminal justice system is terrible. If you assault a police officer, there should be no early release from prison.”