New 999 law sends cocaine thug to prison
A MAN who mauled a police officer during a cocaine-fuelled meltdown has become the first person in Britain to be jailed under new laws introduced to crack down on violence against the emergency services.
Daniel Hilton, 27, sank his teeth into the thigh of Pc Campbell Ditty and attempted to bite him in the groin area as he was being arrested for assaulting his mother at knifepoint.
Pc Ditty said he was left in shock and pain but his skin was not broken in the attack.
Hilton, of Leigh, was charged with a common assault offence under the new Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018, which came into force earlier this month.
He pleaded guilty and was jailed for 12 weeks when he appeared before magistrates in Manchester. Under the new laws attackers convicted of the offence face a maximum of 12 months behind bars instead of six.
The law covers police, prison officers, custody officers, fire service personnel, search and rescue services and paramedics.
The court heard the incident took place last Saturday, after Hilton went berserk at his mother during an episode of paranoid ‘substance misuse psychosis.’
Prosecutor Tess Kenyon said: “Mrs Hilton said he had a knife and he was pacing about, ranting, looking out of the curtains and saying things that didn’t make sense to her. He believed people were outside and were looking for him.”
A friend of Hilton’s mother, who was with her at the time, ran out of the house and phoned police.
She said she didn’t think he would hurt her with the knife and she normalised this behaviour.
The court heard Hilton headed towards a parade of shops then forced his way into the home of a neighbour, telling him ‘they are chasing me.’
Miss Kenyon added: ‘’[The neighbour] didn’t know what he was talking about. The police arrived and he could see torches outsides so he got his key out to let them in.
“Officers came in with Tasers and Tasered Daniel in order to control the situation. [The neighbour] said he had got used to Daniel’s issues, he said he was usually out in the street causing havoc and he feared for his children’s safety when they were playing outside his house as he was so unpredictable.
“The officer assisting Pc Campbell Ditty was helping take Daniel from the address. But whilst doing that Daniel tried to bit him in the groin area, he did bite the officer in the top of the thigh, which caused him to be in shock afterwards.”
The court heard Hilton had been previously convicted of criminal damage in 2015.
In mitigation Hilton’s lawyer David Pearson said: “He has clear mental health problems and just five months ago he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.”
Sentencing, chair of the magistrates John Wood told Hilton: “We feel we have no choice but to send you to immediate custody.”