Man jailed for five years for knife attack on Essex police officers
Declan Diedrick left one officer with an injury to her face which required urgent hospital treatment in an attack on 29 December 2023
Last updated 8th Dec 2025
A man who stabbed a police officer in the face with a knife as she responded to calls raising concerns for his safety has been jailed for five years.
Pc Hollie Matthews had tried to get Declan Diedrick, 25, to put down the 7in serrated kitchen knife when she was attacked in Harlow, Essex, on December 29 2023.
She said in her victim personal statement, released by Essex Police, that she still has "nightmares and wake up with the image of (Diedrick's) face, so angry, with so much rage, it fills me with fear".
The force said Diedrick, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday to five years in prison with an additional three years on licence.
He was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following an earlier trial, police said, and had admitted wounding without intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Pc Matthews was one of the first two officers on the scene responding to calls with concerns for the safety of Diedrick.
Police said when officers arrived they were made aware he had a knife, and there was an altercation as they tried to get him to put it down.
He stabbed Pc Matthews before he was handcuffed on the floor as more officers arrived and a member of the public intervened.
In her victim personal statement Pc Matthews said she has a scar and has struggled to sleep.
Superintendent Tony Atkin said afterwards that the violence Diedrick showed that night was "truly horrifying".
"The first two officers on the scene were subject to a savage attack, with one sustaining a serious stab wound to the face.
"Despite everything those officers went through they remain in frontline policing duties today and continue to help the people of Harlow.
"This exemplifies the incredible bravery of all our officers, trying to do the best for the people they serve.
"All too frequently our officers face violence and it is never acceptable to assume assaults on police officers are just 'part of the job'."
Steve Martin, chairman of Essex Police Federation, said the sentence "sends a clear message that assaults against police officers will not be tolerated".