A drunk man tried to stop paramedics treated his girlfriend before biting a police officer.
At Swindon Magistrates’ Court today (25 May), 20-year-old Dakota Long pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker during the incident in Victoria Road, Old Town, on 15 February this year.
Prosecutor Pauline Lambert said the defendant was restrained by members of the public when he attempted to stop an ambulance crew from treating his partner – who was suffering a seizure.
A passing police vehicle was flagged down and officers tried to move Long away, but a struggle ensured and whilst being detained, he bit PC Kilburn’s inner thigh.
The court heard how Long and his girlfriend spent the day drinking in various pubs around Swindon, starting in the Sir Daniel Arms at around 10.30am.
In a custody interview, the defendant, of Lyde Road, Yeovil, said he “zoned out” and believe he was also suffering a seizure at the time. He claimed to have no recollection of the assault. He told officers that he suffers from psychosis and hears voices.
The injured officer, who suffered pain as a result of the bite, said he does not wish to be awarded compensation but wants Long to understand his behaviour was unacceptable. “We are human beings, and have feelings”, he added.
District Judge Joanna Dickens described it as a “nasty Incident”, telling the defendant that “we are lucky to have dedicated police officers”.
She added: “This is incredibly serious. If we carry on assaulting police officers, we aren’t going to have any, because why would they do the job?”
Defence solicitor Gordon Hotson agreed the incident was nasty, telling the judge that he had consumed a lot of alcohol and suffers from mental health issues – for which he’s seeking help.
District Judge Dickens ruled out a prison term, but adjourned the case for an all options pre-sentence report to be compiled. He will return for sentencing on 4 July.
