by Shocking images have been released which share the shocking reality of frontline policing after an officer suffered a serious head injury and brain contusion following the attack.
The Lancashire officer, PC Ashley Aspinall, remained in hospital for 11 days, and many of his colleagues believed he might die.
The injuries kept Ashly out of work for another four months before he was able to return as a response officer in Blackpool.
READ MORE: Man seriously injured after horror quarry collapse as mountain rescue teams and air ambulance scramble to the scene
Ashley and his colleagues came across his attacker Ian Scott while attending an unrelated incident in Blackpool on 7 April.
Scott was being removed from a bar at the time, and was insulting staff as he tried to get his phone back.
While police colleagues entered the bar in an attempt to retrieve his phone, Scott’s behavior began to escalate and he became verbally abusive.
As the situation worsened efforts were made to detain and arrest him. However, this interaction had Ashley on the path and Scott on top of her.
While Ashley was on the floor bleeding from the back of his head, Scott continued to verbally abuse, taunt and abuse the unconscious officer, while he was receiving life-saving treatment.
Scott, of Cavendish Road, Bispham, was arrested and later charged with Section 18 assault and assaulting a police officer. He pleaded guilty to Section 20 wounding of an emergency service worker and appeared at Preston Crown Court on July 30.
The 50-year-old was given a 24-month suspended sentence and also ordered to abstain from alcohol for 120 days, complete a 15-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, pay £1,500 compensation, and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work .
However, since then, Ashley has been on a long road to recovery and the impact on his family and colleagues has been huge and ongoing.
Here is an extract from what Ashley said in her statement to the court:
“I suffered a significant emotional impact as a result of this incident. I remember my thoughts at the time when I was sure I was going to die and I had made mental peace with that.”
“I thought about all the good experiences I had in life and I gave up on myself in that moment. The only thing that kept me going was thinking about my daughter and seeing her again. I thought about her leading to the first day of school, his school prom and all the opportunities that were yet to come that I wanted to do for him.
“I can’t stress how much I thought I was going to die in this moment and this was the end for me.”
“I remember the tones of the paramedics who were tending to me. The fear in their voice about the level of my injuries was piercing. I didn’t know what my injuries were at the time so I couldn’t understand what happened They informed me at a later date that if this incident had happened in the day, they would have called heli-med because of my urgent need for medical attention. “
“I remember trying to communicate with my colleagues while I was on the floor and my brain was working.
“Since the incident happened, I keep replaying it in my head trying to understand if there is anything I did that could have triggered this incident and I honestly believe that it did not happen. I followed police protocols and policies, with their -includes the five steps. to appeal, before I made the decision to arrest the man I don’t believe any of the actions I took that day warranted this level of injury.”
Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “This is an appalling case where a dedicated and dedicated police officer has suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of an on-duty assault. Thankfully, Ash has made a good recovery, and That’s an understatement. They are all a credit to Lancashire Constabulary.”
“Attacks on our officers will never be tolerated. They are not part of the job – and must be seen as such –. As a society, we cannot normalize them.”
“My officers are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles. They are not just a uniform.”
“We are seeing an ever-increasing number of attacks on emergency workers, and something needs to change to dissuade the perpetrators from seeing this appalling behavior as acceptable. if they love go home.”
“Anyone who saw the footage from the night or heard Ash’s hilarious victim impact statement will understand why I am saddened by the sentence handed down to Ian Scott. this case – the offender should expect an immediate custodial sentence.”
