Magistrates heard this week how a Fishguard man who assaulted a police officer after being arrested didn’t remember anything about the incident as he was so intoxicated.
Twenty-six-year-old David Petrie, of Newport Road, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, to plead guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer at Haverfordwest police station on February 17.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that Mr. Petrie was initially arrested on suspicion of assault in Haverfordwest and then taken to the town’s police station.
“Whilst he was handcuffed and being led to the custody desk, he leant forward and the officer with him thought he was going to bite his hands, so he took him to the floor.
“Then when Mr. Petrie was being led to the cell he kicked backwards at the officer leaving him with a sore leg.
“After he had sobered up and interviewed, he said he couldn’t remember anything and the last thing he remembered was leaving Eddie’s nightclub.
“This is the defendant’s fourth conviction for assaulting a police officer, which is clearly a worrying pattern,” added Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
Probation officer Julie Norman told the court that Mr. Petrie who works as a delivery driver for a local takeaway, had drunk a considerable amount of alcohol before his arrest, but denied having any issues with alcohol.
Defence solicitor Jonathan Webb said his client was a young person being stupid whilst drunk, which ended up with him doing something entirely inappropriate.
“It was nothing malicious as such, and there was no lasting injury for the officer - nevertheless it was inappropriate and shouldn’t have happened,” he told the court.
Magistrates told Mr. Petrie that the matter was a very serious offence before handing him a 12 month community order, with a 15 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and 150 hours of unpaid work.
He was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the injured police officer, prosecution costs of £85, and an £85 victim surcharge.