Yob butted officer after his arrest for damaging window
DRUNKEN prisoner Michael Murray has been jailed for head-butting a police officer after getting angry when he called his mum following his arrest.
Murray, aged 21, has been locked up for 12 weeks after he assaulted PC Nicholas Bolam at the Northern Area Custody Facility (NACF) in Etruria.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle yesterday heard Murray had been arrested for damaging a pub window on December 16.
The defendant, who cut his hand smashing the window, became more aggressive while at the NACF after speaking to his mother on the phone.
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PC Bolam decided to get closer to the defendant but Murray head-butted him to the face. He made contact with the officer's left eye and the bridge of his nose.
PC Bolam was left with some discomfort around his eye.
Murray was then taken to a cell where he smeared blood from his cut hand on the wall.
The defendant, of Longley Road, Longton, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police constable in the execution of his duty, causing criminal damage to the pub window and criminal damage to a police cell on December 16.
He also admitted breaching a conditional discharge imposed for criminal damage.
Gary Corbett, mitigating, said Murray's mood changed after his mother expressed her disappointment in him.
"It was his mother on the end of the call," said Mr Corbett. "He was calling her from custody.
"He had proved to her he could complete a community order. His mother was extremely displeased with his situation."
Mr Corbett added: "He was entirely compliant when arrested and on the way to the NACF."
"He accepts he lunged or lashed out at a police officer coming towards him. He expressed his frustrations by smearing his blood on the wall." Mr Corbett said Murray was intoxicated at the time and added the assault involved a single blow.
He said Murray had a job which he will lose if sent to prison and urged District Judge David Taylor to suspend any prison sentence.
But Mr Taylor said custody was inevitable and jailed Murray for 12 weeks. "You struck a single blow by way of a head-butt to an officer," said Mr Taylor. "Mercifully it caused a small injury."
"But you are a young man who has failed to respond and learn lessons from your recent community order, imposed for violence and criminal damage. You were under the influence of drink and it was in a police station."
Comments
by FFDP1
Saturday, January 19 2013, 5:34AM
“I thing his mother called him what everyone reading this is thinking, "What a f***ing drunk idiot."”