Pc attacked man who yelled: ‘Run, Forrest’
AN OFF-DUTY police officer assaulted a passer-by who allegedly mocked him with a line from the film Forrest Gump as he jogged by.
Pc Paul Blundell, 37, attacked Chris Wakely after he shouted, “Run, Forrest, run”. Matthew Gregson, a friend of Mr Wakely, told Hammersmith magistrates’ court the pair had been drinking after work before the incident last September. Mr Gregson said they were making their way to Victoria Station in London when Blundell ran past them.
He said: “Chris shouted ‘run, Forrest, run’ at him like in the film Forrest Gump. He [Blundell] turned around and said: ‘What did you say?’” Mr Gregson said his friend repeated the line to Blundell. “Blundell then confronted Mr Wakely. The altercation turned physical. [Blundell] was aggressive. I got between them and pushed the jogger into a phone box to try and restrain him,” said Mr Gregson. “He then called 999, identified himself as an off-duty police officer and said he had been assaulted.”
Mr Wakely walked off, while Mr Gregson and Blundell went to the station, where Blundell was arrested. He had a ripped fingernail, split lip, broken glasses and injured hand. Mr Wakely said he did not remember the evening well because he was drunk, adding: “Anything after six Peronis is a blur.”
Blundell told the court he was the victim, and that Mr Wakely had sworn at him. CCTV footage showed him swinging an arm towards Mr Wakeley.
Judge Mike Snow found Blundell, of Croydon, south London, guilty of assault, and gave him a 12 month conditional discharge. He said Blundell’s claim he acted in self defence was not supported by CCTV footage.