PC's attacker free after three months

A man jailed for a "cowardly" attack on a Shropshire police constable has been released from prison less than three months into his sentence.

Mark Pritchard, Tory MP for The Wrekin, now plans to raise the case of William Armer, who was jailed in July for 14 months, in Parliament today.

Armer was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for assaulting Constable David George, of Telford police. Mr Pritchard plans to challenge Justice Secretary Jack Straw about the decision to release Armer.

Constable George, who was off work for two months after the attack on Christmas Eve 2006, had tried to arrest a man in Crown Street, Dawley, for bouncing on the bonnet of his police car when Armer and two other men gathered around him.

The court was told Armer was abusive and knocked the officer to the ground where he was kicked and stamped on.

Today Mr George's wife, Katharine, said for Armer to be released after just three months was a "joke".

"We got a letter saying he had been released," she said. "The letter was dated October 17. I am assuming he was released before that. As far as I am aware he has got a tag until the New Year and then supervision until September next year."

Mrs George, who said she was not criticising West Mercia Police, said: "The most disappointing thing is being let down by the system."

Armer was today unavailable for comment on the issue.

Before sentencing Armer, then 22, of Deepfield, Dawley, Judge Paul Glenn had described the attack as "cowardly".

Mr Pritchard said: "This is not justice, but an insult to all police officers who put their lives on the line every day of the week in service of the community. I am not asking for platitudes from Mr Straw, but action."

A spokesman for the Shropshire Probation Service said it could not comment on individual cases.

She said some prisoners were released on a home detention scheme, when they would be under a curfew.

By London Editor John Hipwood and Lisa Rowley