Fed chair criticises ‘lenient’ sentence for man who ran over PC

3 March 2020

A man who ran over a West Midlands PC last year and carried him on his bonnet for 42 metres causing him life-threatening injuries has been jailed for seven years.

The sentence has been described as ‘shocking in its leniency but not surprising’ by Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police Federation.

“Last September, PC Christopher Burnham was doing his duty, protecting the public, proactively attempting to arrest a wanted man. That man - Tekle Lennox, a serial offender - then chose to try to avoid arrest and, in doing so, hit PC Burnham with his car, carrying him on his bonnet for 42 metres, causing him serious injuries; injuries which could easily have killed him, and which left him in a coma.

“After the attack, Lennox waited until yesterday before admitting his guilt prolonging the trauma faced by Chris and his family. Today he was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison. This sentencing is shocking in its leniency, but sadly not surprising.

“Lennox will serve significantly less than the sentence, and then be free to resume his life. But Chris, his wife and their young son – who have suffered months of pain, worry and anguish – will have to deal with the effects of this incident for the rest of their lives.

“Chris is a distinguished, dedicated and well-liked member of West Midlands Police with 25 years’ service who may not ever recover fully from the injuries he suffered that day.

“We have supported him, his loved ones, his colleagues and the wider West Midlands Police family since this terrible incident and they will continue to receive our support as his recovery continues.

“We will now liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service about appealing this unduly lenient sentence.”

PC Burnham suffered a fractured skull and shattered knee in the incident which happened in the Holbrooks area of Coventry on 25 September 2019.

Lennox admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to resist arrest when he appeared at Warwick Crown Court.