Man found guilty of assaulting police officers
The man originally arrested for carrying an axe
A 44-year-old man who assaulted four Northamptonshire Police officers after being arrested with an axe has been sentenced to prison following a trial at Northampton Crown Court.
Reave Nelson, of Bassett Lowke House in St Johns Street, Northampton, was sentenced to 26 months in custody on June 19. He will serve six months in prison with the remaining sentence served on licence in the community. A destruction order was also issued for the axe found in his possession.
The incident began around midday on January 27, when police responded to multiple reports of a man threatening members of the public with a bladed article on St Leonards Road, Northampton. Nelson was arrested and searched, during which officers discovered an axe inside his rucksack. He immediately became aggressive, kicking the rear bumper of the police vehicle.
Once at the Criminal Justice Centre custody suite, Nelson turned violent during a routine body search. He elbowed a male officer in the face while removing his jacket, then punched a female officer, knocking her to the ground. When the male officer tried to restrain him, Nelson punched him again, causing him to fall. A second female officer who intervened was also struck. During the struggle, Nelson spat at a fourth officer before he was finally subdued and handcuffed.
Nelson was later charged with four counts of assault by beating an emergency worker, assault by beating, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and threatening a person with a bladed article. On January 29, he appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody pending trial.
At his trial, the jury found Nelson guilty of the assaults and possession of the axe, but acquitted him of the charge of threatening a person with a bladed article.
Response officer PC Will Cunningham of the West LPA, who led the investigation, said: “Police officers come to work every day to help people and protect their communities, and assaults on them as they do their job are completely unacceptable.
“Reave Nelson’s actions were unprovoked, violent and completely unnecessary. He not only caused these officers physical pain but emotional distress too. Three of the officers sustained cuts and bruises and one was treated for concussion.
“We will always seek the strongest penalties for those who assault any emergency worker, and I am pleased that the courts have held Nelson accountable for his actions and handed him a custodial sentence.”