Police chief calls for tougher sentences

Adam Dinwiddy, 20, who knocked PC Jeremy Muir unconscious by throwing a beer bottle at his head, was given a community sentence at Chichester Crown Court and ordered to pay 1,000 compensation.

Immediately after the attack, he was seen laughing and "smirking" in the Littlehampton pub where the assault took place.

The two-year supervision order includes 200 hours' unpaid work, and Judge Anthony Thorpe sent Dinwiddy to the cells until the end of the court's business on Friday, saying: "You may then realise what you have just missed."

PC Muir, the court heard, felt "shaken, insecure about performing his duties" after the attack.

Speaking after Dinwiddy, a student of North Street, Littlehampton, was sentenced, Insp Hammond called for all assaults on police officers to be treated seriously.

While not directly criticising Dinwiddy's sentence, Insp Hammond said: "Every day, my officers put themselves on the line when they go out on duty. There need to be more serious sentences to stop people thinking my officers are easy targets.

"The justice system, and society generally, need to send out a message that assaulting police officers is not, and should not, be tolerated."

Insp Hammond said PC Muir was a "strong character", but had nevertheless been affected by the assault, and had been given support to enable him to return to his duties.

"The assault made his colleagues very angry, that someone was allowed to get into such a drunken state, throw a bottle at him and knock him unconscious. I had to speak to them afterwards, as they were quite shaken by seeing a colleague go down like that. They were very worried for him.

"I have no doubt that they would rather have seen a custodial sentence imposed for that assault."

Dinwiddy was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm when he appeared before Worthing magistrates in November.

Sue Lumbard, prosecuting, told the crown court on Friday that PC Muir and other officers attended a reported disturbance at the General Henry public house, Horsham Road, on October 7.

Miss Lumbard said the policemen were leaving the premises at around 10pm when Dinwiddy was seen by witnesses to throw a bottle "overarm" in the direction of the departing officers.

PC Muir was struck on the back of the head, causing him to stumble outside on to the pavement, where he fell unconscious.

He was kept in St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, overnight as a precaution, before taking three days' sick leave.

In a statement, PC Muir said the experience left him "feeling shaken, insecure about performing his duties".

Miss Lumbard said witnesses reported seeing Dinwiddy laughing after the assault and "smirking" when police appealed for witnesses over the public address system.

She added that Dinwiddy was reported to be staggering and "very drunk" at the time.

He was arrested at the scene and spent much of the journey to the police station repeatedly saying: "I'm sorry" to police officers and asking them for help.

Miss Lumbard told the court Dinwiddy had a number of previous convictions for violence and public order offences.

Pierce Power, mitigating, said Dinwiddy had been suffering from a drink problem for the best part of a year as he struggled to come to terms with his parents' divorce, the death of his unborn child and "significant" debts.

Sentencing, Judge Thorpe told Dinwiddy he had carried out a "cowardly attack" and risked prison if he did not conquer his drinking.

He did not believe Dinwiddy posed a "significant risk of serious harm" to the public and he would not jail him due to his age.

But he ordered that Dinwiddy be sent to the court cells until the conclusion of court business for the day, saying: "You may then realise what you've just missed."