A male has been convicted of assaulting an emergency worker after repeatedly hitting an officer over the head with the officers own ASP.
On 30th Jan 2021, officers carrying out some intelligence checks in Lees Lane, Hampshire, spotted 31-year-old Matthew Wagstaff.
As officers approached Wagstaff, he made a run for it and started hopping over garden fences in Pelham Road.
When officers caught up with Wagstaff, a struggle ensued during which Wagstaff took hold of an officer’s ASP before repeatedly hitting him over the head with it.
The officer received multiple head injuries, which required treatment in hospital.
Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday 1 March, Wagstaff pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.
Inspector Matt Wake said:
“Assaults against our people will never be tolerated. It is not ‘simply part of the job’, and we will always take these extremely seriously.
“This was a violent attack on one of our officers, who needed treatment in hospital as a result. Fortunately he has recovered well and is back on duty, but the outcome could have been far more severe.”
Wagstaff, of no fixed abode, was bailed to appear at the same court on 16th April for sentencing.
Stay up-to-date with more news from the front line by subscribing to our free newsletter. Subscribe by clicking HERE.
If you have the Google News app on your phone, don’t forget to follow Emergency Services News.
Got a story? Send your videos and pictures to contact@emergency-services.news You can also find us on Twitter @ES_News_
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
Only Sec 47 ?
No Fixed Abode and Granted Bail ????