Knife-wielding drunk jailed after trying to attack police on his doorstep

Officers were forced to strike Damien Robert Lawton several times after they had tried to help him back to his Hemsworth home.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the 27-year-old had been discovered on a street at around 3.30am on April 4 this year, with cuts and bruises to his face.

No indication was given to how he came to be injured, but the police offered to then take him home after he checked out by ambulance staff.

Prosecuting, Rebecca Young told the court that Lawton became aggressive so was put into the back of the police van, where he purposely hit his head against the side of the vehicle.

When they got him home he turned aggressive again and said: "I'm going to get a machete" as he entered the house.

He grabbed the kitchen knife and one of the two officers on duty pulled the front door shut and held the handle as Lawton tried to get out.

He then appeared at a window with the knife and tried to take swipe through the window, although he was well out of range of the two officers.

The police then made the decision to disarm him, opening the door to get at Lawton and using it as shield.

Miss Young said they managed to strike Lawton "four or five times" until he dropped the knife, before pinning him to the floor and placing him in cuffs.

He denied the events when interviewed later, but admitted a charge of affray before the court.

Lawton, of Pontefract Terrace, Hemsworth, has a history of offending, including violence, criminal damage and non-dwelling burglaries.

Ayesha Smart, mitigating for Lawton, said: "He does offer an apology to both officers who were simply trying to do their jobs.

"He does have a problem with alcohol, which has been the driving factor behind his offending."

She added that Lawton, who is a carer for his mother, suffered from ADHD and does not have the required medication which has contributed to his behaviour.

But Judge Penelope Belcher said a jail sentence was necessary, handing him 10 months behind bars.

She said: "Police officers carry an enormous responsibility, they were trying to help you and they were met with you brandishing a knife.

"It was obviously a frightening incident and they were faced with a situation they have got to contain. They couldn't just walk away from it."