A YOUTH “wildly and violently” swung a machete at police officers, hitting one and missing another by just inches.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons relating to his age, pleaded guilty to four offences at Leeds Magistrates’ Court last Friday.
This included two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, assault by beating of an emergency worker, and possession of a knife blade or sharp-pointed article in a public place.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to all the offences at an earlier hearing.
Charles Macrae, prosecuting, said the attack began when the owner of Wibsey Convenience Store, in Brownroyd Hill Road, raised concerns about two people in balaclavas outside the premises, who he felt were “acting suspiciously” and “eyeing up” his shop at 6.50pm on April 1.
Three officers, PC Millie Fairbank, PC Kai Thackray, and PC Best, went to the scene.
The business owner had closed the shutters and police were directed to the rear of the property, which had a passageway to the side leading to an enclosed area at the back.
PC Best handcuffed one of the suspects, while PC Fairbank and PC Thackray approached the youth involved in these court proceedings.
The court heard he was wearing a face covering as a makeshift balaclava and stood up from his seated position.
PC Fairbank said in a statement read to the court by Mr Macrae that she shouted at the youth to “get your hands out” and as she went to grab his wrists he began to back off.
The teenager then swung at the officer with his left arm and connected with her right cheek with what PC Thackray and PC Best described as a “haymaker-style punch”, the court heard.
The female officer said the blow caused instant pain and her eye to water, and she can be heard screaming in body-worn camera footage shown in court.
PC Thackray deployed PAVA spray – which is similar to pepper spray – and Mr Macrae said the youth then pulled a large machete from his jacket or trousers and swung it toward him.
A statement from the officer read out in court said it "narrowly missed" his outstretched arm and only avoided hitting him because he was flinching.
He added that the youth then swung the machete towards PC Fairbank and PC Best said he saw the weapon connect with the female officer’s leg.
The court heard she “felt something hit the right-hand side of her leg with force”.
PC Thackray said: “He turned 180 degrees and put full force into swinging, it narrowly missed my outstretched arm.
“He continued wildly swinging the machete at me while his eyes were obstructed.”
PC Best said the youth used a diagonal motion with the machete at one point, which he described as being one-and-a-half feet in length, with a four-inch blade, and was “swinging violently”.
Body-worn camera footage seen in court showed a frantic altercation that lasted mere seconds before the youth made a short-lived escape.
PC Thackray gave chase but lost sight of the youth and when he returned to the scene members of the public notified police that there was a machete in the passageway the teenager had run down.
The blade was found abandoned in bushes there.
Mr Macrae said: “Because of the nature of the incident, firearms officers were called, a code zero.”
The youth was ordered to get on the ground while tasers were pointed at him and he cooperated, 20 minutes after the attack.
Mr Macrae said: “The incident took a matter of seconds but really it’s just good fortune no more serious injuries were sustained.”
PC Fairbank suffered bruising under her right eye, on her arm, and bruising on her thigh where the implement struck her.
Mr Macrae said it was unclear if she was hit by the blade itself or the side of the weapon.
The court heard the teenager had already been convicted last year for being caught with a bladed article on school premises.
The youth breached bail in relation to these most recent court proceedings and was remanded into local authority care, where he was taken out of the Bradford area.
A staff member from the Bradford Youth Justice team, who did not wish to be named, gave some background on the offender and explained his troubled history.
He came from abroad at a young age and had suffered a family bereavement.
The youth was once assaulted at home and lured by a criminal gang, according to the staff member.
She said he “deteriorated quite rapidly” when a police warning was issued, preventing him from going to see a friend, where he would go for space away from the difficulties of his family.
The staff member explained the teenager was assessed as being at “very high risk of serious harm” and the criminal exploitation team had been involved.
He is not allowed on the phone unsupervised, there is no TV after 10pm and no unit in his room, and he has taken part in education, under his current arrangement.
The staff member said: “Since he was remanded into local authority care, he has been in a different place.”
She added: “It’s a really good opportunity for him.”
He will be sentenced at a later date.
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