A drunk man who was high on cocaine assaulted four police officers in an attempt to stop them from detaining his girlfriend in Swindon.
Charlie Reynolds, 23, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (25 August) where he pleaded guilty to four counts of assaulting an emergency worker following an incident on 29 May this year.
Prosecutor Pauline Lambert said Wiltshire Police were called to reports of a disturbance in Whitbourne Avenue, Park South, at around 1.15am.
On arrival, the officers located two women shouting in each other’s faces. They tried to detain the women in a bid to calm the situation and prevent an assault.
The defendant, of Rosedale Road, Park South, attempted to prevent the arrest of one of the women – his girlfriend – by grabbing PC Annabel Martin’s wrist.
Her colleague PC Carl Bond pushed Reynolds back but he returned the push with a much greater force before punching the officer in the face.
Another officer, PC Niamh Kelly then took hold of the defendant and he retaliated by grabbing her to the back of the head.
The forth officer involved in the attack, PC Michael Gassner, is said to have taken control of Reynolds – who continued to resist arrest – and suffered an injury to his elbow in the struggle.
Ms Lambert said the officers were forced to press their urgent assistance button due to his “continued resistance and lashing out”.
One of the female officers sustained a serious hand injury, resulting in a visit to Great Western Hospital. Her hand was placed in a splint.
Following his arrest, in custody, Reynolds told officers he had been drinking in Swindon town centre before heading to his girlfriend’s house where he drank more alcohol and took about half a gram of cocaine.
Chairman of the bench Martin Smith said: “This is a serious matter, we’re going to adjourn this case for a pre-sentence report.
“It will include the option to send you to prison, you may go to prison for this.”
Reynolds was released on unconditional bail. He will return for sentencing in September.
