Man jailed for assaulting two police officers

15 month sentence for Aaron Doherty

A man has been jailed for 15 months after he assaulted two female police officers in Plymouth in August 2023.

Aaron Doherty, aged 31, who is from Strabane in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency service worker and one count of intentional strangulation.

He was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday 8 December 2023.

Officers stopped Doherty in Devonport shortly before 10 pm on 29 August following information that he had breached the conditions of a court issued protection order.

As one officer attempted to arrest him, he locked his arms so that handcuffs couldn’t be applied safely and securely.

He pushed one of the officers, causing her to fall and hit her head on the floor. He then pushed the second officer to the floor before running and hiding in a nearby garden.

Both officers pursued Doherty, with one making attempts to detain and control him. He grabbed her 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.

The officers were able to gain control of Doherty and detain him until additional units arrived to provide support.

In interview, Doherty told officers that he had no intention of harming the officers and was unaware of the injuries caused by them falling.

Patrol Inspector Roger Hocking said: “This incident has had a profound and lasting effect on two officers who attended that night. I want to praise them both for their professionalism and continued efforts to detain Doherty, after he had assaulted them both and fled.

“No one goes to work to be assaulted and violence against officers will not be tolerated. As this result shows, we will take seek to bring offenders to justice for these offenses.”