Two Men Jailed Following Merton Park Police Attack
Duo appear in court after incident, which was captured on video
Two men have been jailed after assaulting police officers in Merton Park, following a routine traffic check.
Martin Payne (pictured below left), aged 20, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of Actual Bodily Harm (ABH). He also admitted driving without insurance and driving other than in accordance with a licence.
Kursan Euell (below right), also 20, of Penerley Road, Catford had pleaded guilty to two counts of ABH.
Euell was sentenced to three years and six month's imprisonment and Payne was sentenced to two years and nine months.
The pair were involved in an attack on two police constables who carried out a stop on a vehicle on Kingswood Road, Merton Park on Saturday November 17, 2018.
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.
The incident was captured on video on this link: Video Shows Merton Park Attack On Female Police Officer.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, OCU Commander for Roads and Transport Policing and Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar, South West BCU Commander said in a joint statement: “The impact of this despicable assault has been considerable, not only on the two officers involved but on their families, friends and colleagues.
“Whilst 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 member of public who stepped in to assist at the time and his 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.”
January 22, 2019