A drunken thug brutally assaulted a police officer after repeatedly punching him and kicking him until he was on the floor and unconscious. It was later discovered the officer had suffered a fractured eye socket and nose.
Richard Nodwell, 37, left PC Nathan Attwell bleeding heavily from his face following a "vicious, prolonged and persistent" attack during an attempted arrest. The officer was approached by concerned members of the public as he tried to get to his feet, but he was dizzy and disorientated.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the police had been called by the defendant's daughter on December 20 last year after he had tried to gain entry to her house and had smashed a glass pane in her door. PC Attwell was dispatched to Cwmbran to look for Nodwell, who was discovered near the Church of Our Lady of the Angels. F or the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
The defendant was extremely aggressive and confrontational towards PC Attwell from the start and when the officer tried to reassure him, he responded by saying "Get your hands off me". PC Attwell requested further assistance from colleagues, and became concerned the defendant may be concealing a weapon as continued to hold his hands behind his back. He told Nodwell to show his hands or he would be "sprayed" but the defendant did not comply.
Prosecutor Gareth James said: "The defendant unleashed a vicious, prolonged and persistent attack on PC Attwell, punching him numerous times, which caused him to fall to the floor. He continued to punch and kick PC Attwell on the floor before shouting 'F*** you motherf*****' before leaving the scene. PC Attwell was unconscious and was left dizzy and disorientated."
Shocking footage taken from the victim's body work camera was played to the court, which showed PC Attwell being approached by members of the public as blood from his face could be seen dripping onto a wall, as he tried to compose himself.
The defendant ran away but was later tracked down by PC O'Connor, but Nodwell continued to be aggressive and non-compliant. As a result, PC O'Connor was forced to draw his taser and pointed it at the defendant. It was only when he was "red dotted" did he turn around and placed his hands behind his back.
He was arrested but again became irate and struggled as officers tried to pin him down. He spat at PC Gibbs and bit PC O'Connor on his shin, which resulted in him being placed in a spit hood. Nodwell became even more aggressive, shouting at officers to "Get off his face" and said he suffered from asthma. He said: "I'll bite your f****** leg off you f****** p***y" and "One on one I'll bash you all up, you know it."
PC Attwell was taken to hospital and had to be placed in a wheelchair. The officer was found to have suffered swelling to his forehead, swelling to his eye socket, a bloodshot eye, swollen and tenderness to his cheekbones, a 5mm wound to his cheekbone and swelling from his nose to his eye socket. A CT scan revealed the officer had suffered a fractured eye socket and a fractured nose as a result of the assault, as well as nerve damage and anxiety.
In a victim personal statement read to the court by Mr James, PC Attwell said: "During my five years of service, I have never been subjected to such violence. It's a regular occurrence I've had to attend calls on my own but I did not feel scared or worried...
"I remember thuds hitting me and one almighty thud at the end. I didn't understand the entire impact following the incident. I live on my own and for the first night I was scared to go to sleep in case something happened to me. I was embarrassed to be seen in public, I felt everyone was staring at me and because of that I stayed in my house. I have had to attend hospital and remained in hospital overnight as it was thought I might need surgery.
"I had to take time off work, I enjoy going to work and feel it's a massive part of who I am. As a result of this unprovoked attack I feel like that part has been taken from me. No one should ever be subjected to his kind of violence, even those whose job it is to protect their communities. I miss my work and miss my colleagues but I'm not sure how it will affect me until I am back in a policing environment. I am apprehensive about going to work and anxious about completing my university degree. I have taken pride in completing my university work while working as a police constable and thoughts of failing or having to extend my degree has had a big impact on me.
"It's impacted my friends and family. My family were distraught. I could see how distressed and worried about me they were. They are still not over the incident and they're worried about me returning to work... I hope this does not happen to anyone else, I never thought it would happen to me."
In a second statement, PC Attwell said the majority of his injuries had healed but he has still not returned back to work and has accepted a new role as a police trainer, which means he will be away from public facing duties. The officer said: "The incident made me feel worried and apprehensive about returning to normal duties which I am devastated about."
Nodwell, of Greenwillows, Oakfield, Cwmbran, later pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker. The court heard he has multiple previous convictions for assaulting emergency workers, robbery and affray.
In mitigation, Julia Cox conceded the assault was a "nasty and extremely horrible incident to watch", but she described the injuries as "not life threatening" and said it took place over a short period of time. The barrister said the defendant has had issues with alcohol and relapsed into drinking after his father was diagnosed with cancer. She said her client was "relieved" to have been arrested, and he said PC Attwell "did not deserve" what happened to him.
Sentencing, Judge Hywel James said PC Attwell had been assaulted while doing his job and protecting members of the public. He sentenced Nodwell to six years and four months imprisonment, with an extended licence period of three years. He will serve two thirds of the custodial period of the sentence before he can be considered for release by the parole board.
Following the hearing, Ryan Randall of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This is one of the most shocking attacks on a police officer I have seen. Nodwell carried out this sickening act of violence on a uniformed officer conducting his lawful duties, showing a complete disregard for his authority. Any assault or abuse of an emergency worker is viewed extremely seriously by the CPS. Emergency workers are there to help the public and should be able to do so safely and without fear. We will continue to work with our partners in the criminal justice system, using the full weight of the law, to protect emergency workers.”
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