Horror as estate agent high on drugs stabs PC in frenzied attack
WIELDING two fearsome 12in kitchen knives and high on drink and drugs, this man is about to lunge at two police officers in a frenzied attack. PC Rhydian Jones would have died were it not for the stab-proof vest he was wearing when Tony Buttigieg repeatedly jabbed him in the stomach.
The drama was caught on a police body camera. Officers were called to Buttigieg’s flat, where he was banging on neighbours’ doors claiming that ‘someone was after him’.
When they arrived in the early hours of the morning, they found Buttigieg pacing a hallway on the top floor, armed with the large knives.
A court heard he was raging after losing his £42,800-a-year job as a manager for an estate agents due to a drink- driving arrest. Taking cover behind a glass door, PCs Jones and Gareth Marsh tried to calm him, then fired a Taser at him. And in a split- second, Buttigieg burst through the door, his arms flailing in a frantic attempt to stab the officers.
PC Jones said: ‘I tried to close the door as much as I could, but I was aware of the knives coming around the door. At that point, I had to let go of the door because I was afraid of getting stabbed in my arms.
‘As I did, I was trapped between the wall, a 20ft drop down some stairs and Buttigieg with some knives. As he came towards me, I tried to keep as much distance as I could. I was lucky he didn’t get me in my arms or my neck, I was fully expecting to get caught there.
‘I could feel around three or four blows to my midriff area, where it hit my stab vest – which, to all intents and purposes, saved me from being stabbed. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be here today. ’
As Buttigieg lunged at PC Jones, his colleague fired a Taser. But it only partly connected with Buttigieg, meaning he was not completely incapacitated.
That meant PC Jones was forced to grapple with him to prise the knives from his grasp. PC Marsh said: ‘It was fortunate that Rhydian is the size and is as strong as he is.
‘He’s a big man and he managed to contain the male.’
Buttigieg, 36, pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent when he appeared for sentencing at Swansea Crown Court.
Judge Paul Thomas QC noted that at the time Buttigieg was suffering from a ‘temporary psychotic episode’ fuelled by drink and drugs. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
Judge Thomas also praised the ‘calmness and professionalism’ of the officers during the incident in October last year.
Gwent Police’s chief superintendent Marc Budden said the footage showed the level of violence faced by police every day.