Belfast man injured police by pelting them with objects while he hid in an attic
A Belfast man who injured two PSNI officers by pelting them with objects while he hid in an attic has been handed a six-month jail sentence.
One of the policemen sustained a chipped tooth after being struck by items thrown by 35-year-old Edward Edens.
District Judge Anne Marshall declared: “The court must protect police officers who are out working hard and should not come home with significant injuries.”
Edens, of Park Avenue in the east of the city, pleaded guilty to charges of assault on police and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard the officers were attacked after they attended the address in connection with a suspected domestic-related incident on May 19 last year.
Amid attempts to arrest Edens, one of the policemen received a cut on the hand while his colleague suffered an injured nose and chipped tooth.
A defence barrister confirmed they had been targeted by items hurled by her client. He was hiding in an attic and throwing things down the stairs,” she said.
“The police officer was standing towards the stairs trying to coax Mr Edens out of the attic.”
Counsel submitted he had been in a “fragile state of mind” and heavily addicted to illicit substances at the time. “Cannabis was a major factor in his drug misuse,” she added.
Mrs Marshall heard that other domestic-related charges had been withdrawn.
But highlighting how Edens made admissions at a late stage in the case, she noted his criminal record included previous convictions for assaults on police.
“A police officer who puts on a uniform and goes out to perform their duties does not expect and should not receive an injury that causes actual bodily harm,” the judge stressed.
“He should not have somebody hiding in an attic and throwing things at him that caused a significant injury and obviously required dental treatment.”
Ruling there was no alternative to immediate custody, Mrs Marshall imposed a total sentence of six months in prison.
“The court cannot tolerate attacks like that on police officers,” she added.
Edens was subsequently granted bail pending an appeal against the jail term.