Man jailed for 'horrific attack' on Doncaster police officer
The officer was left with serious head injuries after being struck with his own handcuffs
Last updated 13th Apr 2018
A man who left a South Yorkshire Police officer critically injured after attacking him down an alleyway in Doncaster has been jailed for more than 14 years.
The officer had been called to Hexthorpe on 19 September 2017 after a car crashed into a metal barrier. The car had been stolen from Bolton-on-Dearne earlier that morning by Dale Cheetham, 22, who threatened the driver at knifepoint.
At 7.30am police got a call from Doncaster Council who had captured Cheetham and a second suspect on CCTV assaulting a man at Sandbeck House, Doncaster, after pulling up in the stolen car.
The second suspect was 25-year-old Peter White, also known as Peter Manning, who also appeared before court today.
After the attack, both men got into the Fiat and drove off, where they were spotted by a police officer in an unmarked car in Cleveland Street, Doncaster, who noticed that Cheetham was struggling to control his vehicle.
The Fiat then crashed into a barrier, with Cheetham and White getting out and running into Hexthorpe.
Officers were deployed to the area to search for the two men.
“After Cheetham and White fled from the crashed Fiat on Cleveland Street, they were chased by one of our Police Sergeants down an alleyway near Sheardown Street,” says Doncaster Commander Chief Superintendent Shaun Morley.
“What came next was an unprovoked, sustained and horrific attack against one of our own, which left an officer with serious head injuries.
“Cheetham repeatedly struck our officer about the head, at one point attempting to grab his baton before managing to take the officer’s handcuffs out of his pocket and using these to inflict further blows to the officer’s head.
“There is no doubt that he intended to cause our officer serious harm and his injuries could have been far more severe – indeed, for a short time immediately after the attack, the injuries were deemed to be life-threatening. This was a truly horrifying assault and the impact of that morning on our policing family will be felt for some time.
“This incident sent shockwaves throughout the local community, officers and staff in Doncaster and indeed the wider force, and I am grateful to everyone who has offered their well-wishes and support throughout the criminal investigation.”
Cheetham, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a bladed article, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and driving while disqualified at a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court today.
He also pleaded guilty to Section 18 wounding with intent to resist arrest and use of an offensive weapon. He was jailed for a total of 14 and a half years.
White, of Low Road, Conisbrough, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident at Sandbeck House. He was jailed today for 18 months