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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Despite the aggressive nature of the attack his assailant, who admitted to being on cocaine at the time, was fined \u00a320, ordered to pay a \u00a330 victim surcharge and was told to pay PC Daves \u00a3200 in compensation.<\/p>\n
He had admitted the charge of resisting arrest at court.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had probably spent more on cocaine that night than he had to pay in fines,\u201d PC Daves said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat 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\u2019ve had before.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s had a massive impact on me personally, I\u2019ve been left unable to drive as I\u2019ve been in a cast and it\u2019s stopped me from doing things with my kids, not to mention the impact it\u2019s had on my work life.\u201d<\/p>\n
PC Daves added that his assailant used his time in court to complain that the arrest made his expensive jacket muddy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just unbelievable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs police officers we go out and put ourselves in danger and peril to protect the public and the courts aren\u2019t even backing us up. I feel incredibly let down and unsupported by them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Essex Police Federation Chair Steve Taylor was furious with the sentence given out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis offender was given a fine which probably totalled less than he spent getting intoxicated before he committed the assault on our colleague,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of a deterrent did the bench think this sentence would send?<\/p>\n
\u201cAn assault on a police officer is an assault on our society itself, and this sanction evidences why we need to better protect the protectors \u2013 with legislative change.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"