Attacker sentenced for assault on PC

22 January 2018

A teenager has been jailed after pleading guilty to assaulting a Leicestershire Police officer.

PC Becky Radford had gone to intervene in an altercation on Church Gate, Leicester on the morning of 22 October last year.

The officer had tried to apprehend the 17-year-old and had a several clumps of hair pulled from her head. The girl also repeatedly assaulted her, punching her several times and banging her head on the ground repeatedly, causing bruising to her face.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to four months for assaulting a police constable in the execution of her duty at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Friday (19 January).

In 2016, the Force, Leicestershire Police Federation and the Leicestershire Police branch of UNISON committed to thoroughly investigating and recording all deliberate assaults on members.

Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “All too often, police officers and staff are subjected to assaults and threats. While the severity of such attacks change, the impact upon society does not. It is never acceptable to assume that assaults upon police officers and staff should be tolerated, they are not simply ‘part of the job’.

“While it is clear that the nature of policing requires members of the organisation to handle difficult and hostile situations, assaults upon them are serious and unacceptable. Not only do assaults on police staff and officers have a negative impact on the community but also internally to the organisation.”

Tiff Lynch, chair of the Leicestershire Police Federation which represents the interests of the Force’s constables, sergeants and inspecting ranks, said: “We have seen a growing number of assaults on police officers in recent years and all too often it has appeared that those guilty of these attacks have been given lenient sentences or, in some cases, have not even been prosecuted.

“We are pushing for all those who assault police officers to be brought before the courts. An attack on a police officer should be seen as an attack on society and should not be tolerated. In this incident, the officer concerned was on duty in the city, serving the public and helping keep our communities safe when they were subject to a vicious attack.

“The officer suffered one of the most horrific physical injuries that I have seen in the 22 years I have been a police officer. The physical and mental scarring from this assault will have an impact for many years to come, affecting them both at work and in their personal lives. It may be the case that those scars never fully heal.

“Assaults on our officers, or on police staff or any other emergency service personnel for that matter, should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

“There can be no excuse, justification or mitigating reasons for these attacks. The sentence handed down in this case should serve as a punishment to the offender but also act as a deterrent to others who may think it is okay to abuse and attack our officers and other emergency service workers.”

Leicestershire Police Federation has been an active supporter of the Police Federation’s nationwide Protect the Protectors campaign which is seeking better protection for the police and other emergency service workers through tougher sentencing and better protective equipment.