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Handcuffed man beats police officer to the ground in 'sickening' body camera footage

Radbourne was jailed for 36 months over a charge of ABH

Lamiat Sabin
Saturday 21 February 2015 11:58 GMT
Craig Radbourne from Buckinghamshire beat the police officer to the ground
Craig Radbourne from Buckinghamshire beat the police officer to the ground (YouTube)

Body-cam footage shows the moments a police officer got her head repeatedly smashed into a pavement by a man who was jailed yesterday.

Sergeant Kelly Lawrence was brutally attacked by Craig Radbourne – whom she had just arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly – in an incident during the early hours of her shift.

The 25-year-old suspect had been sitting in the police car arguing with the officer before he swung to punch her with his handcuffed fists and tells her to “f*** off”.

This is Radbourne in the middle of the attack that was caught on camera (YouTube)

As she falls, he topples over her and pushes her to the ground.

Her alarming screams of pain can also be heard in the footage as her head is banged against the pavement several times before she calls for help from the central office.

Back-up officers arrived and Radbourne was re-arrested and taken into police custody after the violent assault that occurred on 6 July last year.

The footage filmed by a camera strapped to Sergeant Lawrence was described as “nothing short of sickening” by Judge Susan Evans QC.

Yesterday, Radbourne – of Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire – was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH).

Warning: Video contains graphic images and audio

Chief Inspector Simon Dodds said: “Across the country, police officers work extremely hard to keep their local communities safe. They come to work knowing that their job has an element of risk, as part of their duty to protect the public.

“However assaulting an officer must never be seen as just part of the job. It is unacceptable. This was a disgusting attack on a member of my team, who works tirelessly to serve her community.”

Simon Hayes, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, criticised the sentence as being lenient.

He said: “I am disappointed that Radbourne has only been sentenced to three years in prison for the extremely violent assault against Sgt Kerry Lawrence.

“I would hope that he is made to serve the full sentence.”

Sergeant Lawrence is back on full duties with Hampshire Police.

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