Two men jailed after attacking emergency workers in Birmingham

Adam Issa and Hamad Gernas attacked four police officers last year.

Hamad Gernas (L) and Adam Issa (R)
Author: Molly HookingsPublished 30th Jan 2024

Two men have been handed prison sentences after attacking emergency workers in Birmingham.

Hamad Gernas, 23, and Adam Issa, 33, injured four police officers in Lozells last year.

Gernas, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated bodily harm and Issa of two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis at an earlier hearing.

On Tuesday 24 October, officers were patrolling Villa Road and were authorised to use dispersal order powers in response to recent concerns over suspicious activity in the area.

Acting on intelligence, one of the officers asked Gernas to provide his details but he became aggressive.

A further three officers attempted to calm Gernas down but he remained argumentative.

Issa then appeared at the scene and threw a bicycle at one of the officers, which hit the back of his head as well as hitting a second officer on the back.

A brave member of the public then intervened and prevented Issa from grabbing a piece of fruit to throw at the officer and with his help we were able to detain him.

During the arrest of Gernas, an officer was punched, another was bitten, and a third received a sprained arm.

Three of the four officers that were assaulted required hospital for their injuries but they were not serious.

Gernas of Hamilton Road, Birmingham was sentenced to seven months and Issa of no fixed abode was sentenced to six months.

Chief Inspector Sara Beech said: “Four of our officers were assaulted while just trying to do their job, which will not be tolerated.

“Nobody should face violence and abuse whilst trying to protect the public.

“Assaulting emergency workers is not just about physical visible injuries but also the mental harm the experience causes.

“I also want to say a huge thank you to the courageous member of the public who stepped in and intervened during the incident.

“We will bring those to justice who think violence against our officers is acceptable.”

Hear all the latest news from across the West Midlands on the hour, every hour, on 103.1 and 97.2FM (Wolverhampton, Black Country and Shropshire), 96.4FM (Birmingham), 97 and 102.9FM (Coventry and Warwickshire), 97.6FM, 102.8FM and 96.7FM (Herefordshire and Worcestershire), DAB, at freeradio.co.uk, and on the Free Radio app.