20 year olds jailed for attack on police officers in Merton

BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

Two 20-year-old men who assaulted police officers in Merton have been jailed.

Their attacks were captured on the victims’ body cameras and showed one of the pair fly-kicking an officer in the head.

Martin Payne, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, pleaded guilty to one count of actual bodily harm (ABH) at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, December 14.

He also admitted driving without insurance and without a licence. Kursan Euell, of Penerley Road, Catford pleaded guilty to two counts of ABH.

They were both sentenced at the same court on Monday of last week. Euell was sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment and Payne was sentenced to two years and nine months’ imprisonment.

The pair were involved in an attack on two police constables who carried out a stop on a vehicle in Kingswood Road, Merton on Saturday, November 17.

The three occupants of the vehicle ran off and the officers managed to detain Payne before Euell and another suspect returned and assaulted the officers.

A female officer, who sustained head injuries, and a male officer, who suffered cuts, were taken to a west London hospital and have since been discharged.

Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, commander for roads and transport policing, and Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar, South West Commander, said in a joint statement: “The sentences handed down to Euell and Payne indicate how serious the courts take assaults on police officers.

“Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to attack an officer should expect to face the consequences of their actions.

“The impact of this despicable assault has been considerable, not only on the two officers involved, but on their families, friends and colleagues.

“While police officers are rightly expected to handle difficult and hostile situations on a regular basis, we do not accept that assaults are part of the job, and we feel that our officers deserve the protection of the law in order to do their jobs effectively.

“We are pleased that the two suspects have been brought before the court swiftly thanks to the hard work of Detective Constable Jean-Paul Ricot-Gomez and the rest of the team.

“We would also like to publicly thank the members of public who stepped in to assist at the time, and their actions will be recognised at a formal commendation ceremony.

“We are also grateful to the many members of public and colleagues from the emergency services who passed on their best wishes to our officers, having seen the video of the incident in the media.

We really value your support.”