DAD,36, REPEATEDLY HIT FEMALE PC IN THE FACE

Man who gave name as Mickey Mouse jailed

A DRUNKEN dad who claimed his name was ‘Mickey Mouse’ assaulted four police officers and a paramedic in two incidents of ‘obnoxious’ behaviour.

John Rowley racially abused a custody officer after he was arrested in Burslem. The 36-year-old urinated in his cell, slipped and injured himself.

He stamped on two officers’ feet as he was being taken to an ambulance – and at the Royal Stoke he tried to spit on a paramedic.

Stoke-on-trent Crown Court heard Rowley failed to attend court and remained at large for 13 months. After the second arrest Rowley repeatedly punched a female officer in the face and injured another officer during a scuffle. Now he has been jailed for 21 months. Prosecutor David Jackson said police were called to High Lane, Burslem, in June 2019 to a report damage had been caused.

Mr Jackson said a ‘clearly drunk’ Rowley was arrested and taken to custody in Etruria. “He started spitting in the back of a police car,” he said.

“In custody he kicked out at a door. An officer warned him about his conduct. He refused to hand over a lighter and an officer had to forcibly remove it from his grip. He was placed in a holding cell and he became aggressive and tried to head-butt an officer. He called a custody officer a racist name.”

Mr Jackson said Rowley urinated in the cell, slipped and cut his left eyebrow. He then refused treatment from paramedics and stamped on officers’ feet as he was being taken to the ambulance.

At the hospital, Mr Jackson said, Rowley ‘threatened to smash the paramedic’s face in’ before attempting to spit on him, and again refusing treatment. He was bailed but failed to attend court on August 6, 2019. He remained at large until police were called to Chell Street, Hanley, on September 24, 2020, to a report of a domestic between Rowley and his son.

Mr Jackson said: “The defendant was drunk. When asked his name he replied, ‘Mickey Mouse’.” He said a female officer used parva spray on Rowley who then ‘pushed her against the wall and punched her several times to the face. He picked up her baton and held it in the air as if to strike. She sprayed him again. The male officer used his baton to strike the defendant causing him to drop his colleague’s baton’.

Both officers suffered minor injuries. Rowley, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to five charges of assaulting an emergency worker, racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour and failing to answer to bail.

Sahil Sinha, mitigating, said alcohol was behind the offending, adding that Rowley has been in custody for fiveand-a-half months.

Judge Paul Glenn said Rowley’s previous convictions, which includes assaults on police, aggravated his position. His behaviour in custody was ‘utterly obnoxious’ and remained ‘despicable’ at the hospital. He added: “All of those involved in this case were simply trying to do their job.”