Telford man jailed over attack on police
A 37-year-old Telford man with a long history of attacking police is today beginning a prison sentence after his latest assault on an officer who was attempting to arrest him.
Lee Sergeant became violent when neighbours called police after he had shouted abuse and made threats.
At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday Sergeant was jailed for a total of 18 months for assault and two public order offences. Judge Robin Onions said he had not seen anyone with such a bad record of assaults on police officers dating back almost 15 years.
He said that Sergeant had made some very unpleasant threats to female neighbours and had attacked a police officer carrying out his duty. "You refused to go quietly and the police deserve the protection of the courts," said Judge Onions.
The court heard that Sergeant, of Hurleybrook Way, Leegomery, had eight previous convictions for attacks on police.
He had pleaded guilty to assaulting Sergeant Ian Brogan causing him actual bodily harm and two incidents of threatening behaviour on June 14 this year.
Mr Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, said that Sergeant had tried to pick a fight with a man in Hurleybrook Way, who was with a woman who was one of the defendant's neighbours.
A short time later he was banging on the woman's front door and using abusive language. Later he threatened another woman, who is his next door neighbour, and told her he was going to "poison her cats and dogs".
When the police were called Sergeant became violent as officers tried to put handcuffs on him and get him into a police van.
Mr Beardwell said that the defendant struck Sgt Brogan in the face injuring his nose and right eye.
Mr Julian Goode, for Sergeant, said his client accepted he had acted in a reckless manner, but had been drinking while taking prescribed medication and was not able to control his behaviour.
