Witnesses tell of police officer with ‘deep cuts’ after incident on street
PC NEEDED 15 STITCHES IN TWO FACIAL WOUNDS
WITNESSES have told of the dramatic moment they saw blood “pouring out” of a deep slash wound inflicted on the face of a police officer.
Colleagues of PC Steven Reid relived the horrific scene which met them as they set eyes on their seriously injured workmate in a Derby street.
One of them told how patrols flooded Slack Lane after the victim pressed his emergency button following the attack by Richard Jefford.
The 38-year-old defendant is on trial at Derby Crown Court for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm of PC Reid.
He has admitted he inflicted the injuries but denies he intended to cause them as he was high on class A drugs at the time.
Giving evidence in his defence he was asked by his barrister, Kevin Waddingham: “You accept that is you on the footage [of the incident] we have all seen in court?”
He replied: “Yes.”
Mr Waddingham asked: “How do you feel about what you have seen?”
Jefford replied: “Disturbed, turbed, I can’t can t watch it, it’s a terrible thing to see. I am sorry for him and his family.”
The jury has so far r been told how the assault happened during what prosecutor Laura Pitman said was “a rampage” of offending on the night of October 15, 2019.
PC Reid required 15 stitches across two huge facial wounds inflicted on him.
At the time the officer was with a newly-trained female colleague, and the pair were responding to reports of a robbery in the Slack Lane area of the city.
Miss Pitman read out a number of witness statements made by police officers who first responded to reports of the attack. All spoke of arriving in Slack Lane where a large group of people pointed them towards the incident in nearby Brough Street.
One of the officers, PC Susan Smith, said: “I was first on the scene, I could see PC Reid shouting repeatedly [at Jefford] ‘get on the ground’. He [PC Reid] was bleeding heavily, the other male [Jefford] was screaming ‘get back’.
“Someone shouted ‘someone get to Reidy’ and I saw he was holding a towel to the left hand side of his face. I saw two large lacerations, one went down one side of his face, blood was pulsating, pouring out of the wound’.”
PC Dean Fowkes was another officer quickly at the scene and it was him who Tasered Jefford so he could be detained.
Miss Pitman read out his statement in which he said: “I stopped the vehicle, I could see a crowd, I heard one of them shout ‘it’s over here’.
“I did not know what I was running into when I ran into Brough Street. I could see he [Jefford] was agitated, I was aware he had slashed PC Reid, I shouted ‘Taser officer, get on the floor’.
“I shouted it three times then I Tasered the male and he fell to the floor but still resisted.”
The court heard how on the way to custody, officers became concerned about Jefford so he was taken by ambulance to the Royal Derby Hospital, accompanied by officers.
One of them them, PC Sheldon, said in his sta statement: “He was strapp strapped to the bed [in the ambulance] and all the time he was sh shouting ‘just kill me now, do it quickly’.”
Miss Pitman s said after being a attacked by Jefford, of no fixed address, PC Reid pressed the panic alarm on his radio a and other patrols quickly flo flooded the area, Tasering Jefford to bring him down and arrest him.
The jury has been told how the defendant has already pleaded guilty to GBH, robbery, criminal damage and possession of drugs.
Miss Pitman said: “Richard Jefford accepts that on the night we are dealing with he had the knife and that he used it to cut the face of PC Reid when he lashed out.
“What he denies is intent.”
The trial continues.
I saw two large lacerations... blood was pulsating, pouring out of the wound.
PC Susan Smith