A MAN from Co. Tyrone has been jailed in England after pleading guilty to assaulting two female police officers.
Aaron Doherty, 31, from Strabane admitted two counts of assaulting an emergency service worker and one count of intentional strangulation.
The incident happened in August in Plymouth, Devon, after the officers attempted to arrest him over an alleged breach of a court order.
"This incident has had a profound and lasting effect on two officers who attended that night," said Patrol Inspector Roger Hocking of Devon & Cornwall Police.
'You're strangling me'
Officers stopped Doherty in the Devonport district of Plymouth shortly before 10pm on August 29, 2023 following information that he had breached the conditions of a court-issued protection order.
As one officer attempted to arrest him, Doherty locked his arms so that handcuffs couldn't be applied safely and securely.
He then pushed one of the officers, causing her to fall and hit her head on the floor.
Doherty then pushed the second officer to the floor before running and hiding in a nearby garden.
Both officers pursued him, with one making attempts to detain and control him.
Doherty grabbed the officer by the throat and as she told him, 'You're strangling me, I can't breathe', he continued to keep hold of her.
He then grabbed hold of the other officer's wrist and twisted it, causing her pain.
However, the officers were able to gain control of Doherty and detain him until additional units arrived to provide support.
Officers praised
In an interview with investigators, Doherty claimed that he had no intention of harming the officers and was unaware of the injuries caused by them falling.
He pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court last month.
In a statement on Tuesday, Inspector Hocking commended the officers involved for detaining Doherty despite being assaulted by him.
"I want to praise them both for their professionalism and continued efforts to detain Doherty, after he had assaulted them both and fled," he said.
"No one goes to work to be assaulted and violence against officers will not be tolerated.
"As this result shows, we will seek to bring offenders to justice for these offences."
