Thug who attacked policewoman at march in Westminster is put behind bars

A man who pushed a female police officer downstairs in Westminster, spat at others and hurled projectiles at them during a protest has been jailed.

Jamie Dewing 31 of Valley View, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Teeside was sentenced to two years’ in prison at Teeside Crown Court on August 18.

He had previously appeared at Teeside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 8 where he admitted one count of assaulting an emergency service worker and one count of violent disorder.

On June 13, Dewing had travelled from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to join hundreds of demonstrators protesting in Parliament Square. Early into the day, a small minority of demonstrators, including Dewing, became increasingly hostile to police officers.

Dewing fronted up to officers who were policing the crowds near to the Nelson Mandela statue about 1pm. Officers had made their way there to retrieve from the crowd an isolated female, believed to be from an opposing group, as there was serious concerns for her wellbeing.

Officers were taking this woman to safety and were moving away from the crowd, when Dewing violently shoved the female officer.

As a result, the officer fell backwards down steps and onto her back. The officer received injuries to her back and neck and although she has returned to duty she is still receiving physiotherapy.

Dewing’s violent behaviour continued, and throughout the rest of the day, he was caught on camera acting aggressively, including throwing items such as a metal barrier at officers and repeatedly spitting at officers at cordons along Whitehall.

As part of the post-incident investigation, his image was released to the media and Dewing was identified by an officer from Cleveland Police

Detective Constable Nicky Dixon, part of the investigation team into the disorder, said: “Dewing assaulted an officer who was only trying to protect a member of the public. This officer braved a hostile crowd to carry out the rescue of someone who was vulnerable. Having come to the woman’s aid, the officer was moving away when Dewing assaulted her. There is no excuse for this or his later actions, it was just thuggery.

“I’d like to thank Cleveland Police for their help in identifying Dewing. When arrested he initially denied that he was responsible, but officers had gathered extensive evidence. When faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, he pleaded guilty and has rightly been sent to prison.

“As part of our investigation into recent disorder, we have released many images of people we would like to speak with in connection with this incident. I would urge everyone to please take a few minutes to look through these images in the news and on social media and, if you identify anyone you recognise, please let us know who they are.”