Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Thursday, 22nd August 2024, at 08:30hrs
A Lancashire Police officer who suffered a serious head injury while trying to make an arrest appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning to discuss the assault and sentencing of the offender.
50-year-old Ian Scott later pleaded guilty to section 20 assault, and recieved a two year suspended sentence along with 120-day alcohol abstinence requirement, complete 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, pay £1,500 compensation, and undertake 200 hours of unpaid work following the assault.
PC Ashley Aspinall, who is a response officer in the Blackpool area was attacked by Scott outside a chapel street bar after the offender was ejected and became abusive to door staff and attempting to regain access to the bar to retrieve his phone.
While Ashley’s colleagues went to retrieve the phone, Scott’s drunken behaviour deteriorated and he became increasingly verbally abusive. After numerous warnings, attempts were made to detain and arrest him.
It was during this interaction that Ashley ended up on the pavement, with Scott on top of him. As Ashley was losing consciousness with blood coming from the back of his head, Scott continued his volley of verbal abuse.
Then, as Ashley’s colleagues were giving him life-saving treatment, Scott was continuing to mock and abuse him.
PC Aspinall appeared on the show this morning to discuss the incident and how this has had an impact on not only him but his family too, and that offenders who assault emergency workers should recieve custodial sentences.
During the interview, GMB showed photos of the officer in hospital where he remained for eleven days receiving treatment , PC Aspinall went on to thank the NHS staff for the treatment he received whilst in their care.
PC Aspinall went on to describe how he was laying on the ground in a pool of blood and thought he was going die.
As he continued to describe how police officers are just normal people with families at home, describing that he is a father to his young daughter and has a wife GMB showed a photo of him along with his wife and daughter then very briefly mistakenly showed a photo of PC Andrew Harper along with his wife Lissie Harper.
PC Andrew Harper died On 15 August 2019, at aged 28-year-old. Police constable Andrew Harper was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England in the line of duty. Andrew Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile which resulted in his death.
Henry Long, 19, was sentenced in July to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody over the manslaughter of the Thames Valley Police traffic officer.
PC Andrew Harpers’ wife Lissie Harper campaigned for tougher sentences to be handed down to those who kill Police Officers in the line of duty.
On 24 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice announced that they would introduce “Harper’s Law”, a bill extending mandatory life sentences to “anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty – including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics – while carrying out another crime unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. The law was added to the statute book on 28 April 2022 as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and is now law.
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