Assault Occurs on Halloween Night
On Halloween night of last year, Matthew Curtis of Fallowfield Avenue, Ulverston, assaulted Police Constable Taylor in what the officer described as the “worst injury” of his professional career.
The incident occurred when PC Taylor and his colleague PC Jones approached Curtis on Stockbridge Lane in Ulverston for an unrelated matter.
According to Peter Kelly, the prosecutor, a struggle ensued during which he pushed PC Taylor, making contact with the officer’s eye.
Impact on the Victim and his Family
PC Taylor had to attend Furness General Hospital for treatment.
In a victim impact statement, he revealed, “My children cried the next day because they thought I had gone blind.” He described Curtis’ actions as “disgusting and uncalled for,” going on to say that it was the worst injury he had suffered in his career as a police officer.
Such violent incidents against emergency workers raise serious concerns, especially in the context of rising assault rates on police officers.
Statistics indicate that 41,000 police officers across the UK were assaulted in the last 12 months, as of March 2023, underscoring the gravity and prevalence of the issue.
Sentencing Reflects a Range of Offenses
Representing the defendant, Tristan Roberts admitted that Curtis’ actions were reckless but not deliberate.
He also highlighted that Curtis had never been in legal trouble before.
Magistrate Janet Ellis regarded the offence as serious and sentenced Curtis to a 12-month community order.
He was further ordered to pay £400 in compensation to PC Taylor and to complete 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days.
Additionally, Curtis was issued a 16-week curfew and a six-month primary mental health treatment requirement.
Curtis was also found in possession of a small amount of cocaine and cannabis on November 1, 2022, a day after the incident.
The drugs were ordered to be forfeited and destroyed by the magistrates.
Remember to subscribe to our FREE NEWSLETTER, check out our YOUTUBE CHANNEL and follow us on X for breaking news.
Gain Authentic Insights into Policing: Five Audiobooks Written by Police Officers You Won’t Want to Miss:
Bodyguard: The Real Story: Inside the Secretive World of Armed Police and Close Protection
Into the Night: A Year with the Police
Handcuffed Emotions: A Police Interceptor’s Drive into Darkness
True Police Stories: Inside The REAL Stories of the Scary, Unexplained & Weird: Bizarre True Stories
Firearms and Fatals: An Autobiography of 30 Years Front Line Policing Exposed
Join our WhatsApp community!
ESN is now on WhatsApp, and we want you to join our communities.
To join, you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is click the link and press 'Join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up, and no one can send messages except the ESN team.
Joining our WhatsApp channel is a great way to help support our work and best of all, it is free!
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Before you read or leave a comment...
In an age where mainstream media often overlooks the sacrifices made by our emergency services personnel, Emergency Services News is a critical voice you can trust
While we persist in our mission, we need your help to continue. Your donation directly enables us to produce high-quality content that elevates the stories and challenges faced by the men and women who serve, stories that are often ignored elsewhere.
We deeply appreciate your support. Your contribution empowers us to keep shining a light on the remarkable, yet often overlooked, individuals who serve our communities every day. Thank you for standing with us.
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.
Why bother? You stupid woman, you’ve just given the green light to other thugs to attack the police with that pathetic sentence. I’m more concerned with the PTSD the officer is no doubt going to go through and the effect you have added to, to his family. Your sentence (if you can call it that) is as bad as the crime itself.
Never been in trouble before? No, he had just never been caught before. He should have been jailed for this assault and then jailed again for cocaine possession. He would never misbehave again.