Coronavirus: Police officer who delivered Easter eggs to children gets bitten and punched by man flouting lockdown

'Words fail me when it comes to some people’s behaviour,' says chief constable

A police officer was badly bitten by a man causing a disturbance in Rochdale (Greater Manchester Police)

A police officer has been “seriously bitten” on the arm by a man who was breaking coronavirus lockdown rules in an attack described by a chief constable as “the lowest of the low”.

The 21-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was attacked after responding with colleagues to reports of a street disturbance in Rochdale.

A man has since been charged in relation to the incident.

According to GMP, officers were trying to explain to the man causing the disturbance that he shouldn’t be visiting other people’s homes when two officers were both punched.

He then bit one of the officers, who was admitted to hospital before being discharged to continue recovering at home.

Police arrested the 29-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage, domestic violence assault, assault with intent to resist arrest and regulation 8 of the Health Protection Regulation 2020 (Coronavirus). He remains in police custody.

Superintendent Richard Hunt of GMP’s Rochdale district said the officer who suffered the bite had been delivering Easter eggs to children in the local area while on patrol just a few days earlier.

She told him the attack was in “stark contrast to the support she has felt” from the community in recent days, and it wasn’t a “reflection of the vast majority of the public”.

Mr Hunt said: “No police officer should have to come up to work – doing a job to serve and protect our communities – and be assaulted.

“It is absolutely disgusting that my officer was faced with this last night and all of our thoughts are with her as she rests at home.

“I recognise that the pictures we are releasing today are quite graphic but I hope they help people to understand the vicious nature of this attack and I know that the people of Greater Manchester will join me in wishing our officer a fast and peaceful recovery.”

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins also commented on the incident, tweeting: “Words fail me when it comes to some people’s behaviour. This is shocking at the best of times, but during a Coronavirus Pandemic this is just the lowest of the low. I trust the CPS & Court will now do what we all expect of them!”

His tweet was retweeted by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

In a statement Greater Manchester Police said: "A man has been charged after an assault on two police officers in Rochdale.

"Christopher Hill, of no fixed abode, has been charged with two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker and one count of criminal damage.

"He will be remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Magistrates Court on Saturday 11 April 2020.

"Whilst responding to an incident yesterday on Drake Street in Rochdale, two officers were punched. One of those officers – a 21-year-old police constable – was then seriously bitten."