Drunk jailed for attacks on police officers

A VIOLENT drunk punched a police officer repeatedly in the face and struck another over the head with a bottle when they were called to a domestic disturbance at his home.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Feb 2016, 23:01 BST

A court heard the officers feared for their lives during the attack by Derek Ross.

Police went to Ross’s home in South Elmsall, near Pontefract, after his stepson sent desperate texts to emergency services.

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Mehran Nassiri, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court Ross’s wife’s son raised the alarm as he was frightened for his mother’s safety.

A male and a female officer went to the house on Wesley Street at 9.15pm on January 27 this year to find him heavily drunk.

Ross began packing his things to leave before suddenly turning violent.

He punched the female officer around four times in the face, briefly knocking her unconscious.

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Ross, 45, then used a glass bottle to hit the male officer over the head. At one point he tried to smash the bottle so he could inflict a more serious injury.

Ross then gouged the male officer’s eyes and bit his arm as they continued to struggle.

Mr Nassiri said Ross spat blood at the officers and said: “I’m going to kill you.”

More officers were called to the scene and Ross was eventually overpowered and handcuffed.

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He spat at another officer and urinated in his cell after he was detained.

Ross pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two offences of assaulting a constable and two of criminal damage.

The court heard he has previous convictions for assaulting police officers and served a 39-month prison sentence, imposed in 2005, for wounding.

Christopher Morton, mitigating, said Ross had lost his job as a road maintenance worker with Highways England as a result of the convictions.

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Mr Morton said Ross was a committed Jehovah’s Witness who took his faith seriously but turned violent after drinking too much.

He said: “His weakness for alcohol is his stumbling block.

Ross was jailed for nine months.

Recorder Anton Lodge, QC, said: “I accept that you are trying to give up alcohol. I wish you well and I hope that your religious affiliation helps you in that regard.

“But these are serious offences and I need to pass an immediate term of imprisonment.”