Man sentenced after police officer seriously injured
The man from Oxfordshire has been jailed for two years eight months and handed a driving ban
Last updated 23rd Jun 2022
A man's been jailed to two years and eight months, after an incident on the A419 in Swindon earlier this year - which saw a Wiltshire Police officer seriously injured.
39-year-old Marlon Kambulu Joao, who is from Merton Court in Eynsham in Oxfordshire pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, to Section 20 Grevious Bodily Harm, dangerous driving and other driving offences.
He was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court yesterday (22/06) and told he'll be behind bars for a total of 34 months.
The court heard how in the early hours of 26 April, officers in a marked vehicle saw Joao travelling south on the northbound carriageway and signalled for him to stop, which he did.
After being stopped, Joao got back into his car and attempted to drive away, despite being told not to by the two officers at the scene.
While one of the officers was attempting to remove the keys from the ignition of the vehicle, Joao resisted and the officer was subsequently dragged a short distance, causing her injuries in the process. Her colleague managed to help free her from the fleeing vehicle.
Joao was arrested after a short pursuit.
The injured officer suffered two fractures to her ankle, as well as tendon damage to her wrist, and is still recuperating.
In an impact statement issued to the court, Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, said: “My officers and staff work tirelessly to protect the vulnerable, keep communities safe and to prevent and detect crime. They have a right to go about their daily duty without the fear of being assaulted.
Both officers who were in attendance during this part of the incident have suffered significant trauma due to the actions of the defendant. The violent and dangerous actions of the defendant will have an incredible impact on the officers."
“Despite this and the protection they are afforded through their personal issue appointments (police uniform and kit), being physically or verbally assaulted should never be tolerated or considered to be acceptable as part of their public duty.”