A man who assaulted three police officers had to be Pava sprayed and put in leg restraints, a court has heard.

Jack Anthony Willis Hutchinson punched one officer, tried to bite one, and kicked another.

The 28-year-old then later defecated on a bed in a police cell and blocked the toilet with a paper cup.

The assaults prompted the island’s Chief Constable Russ Foster to send a letter of support for the officers to prosecuting advocate Barry Swain, who said that this was the first time in his career that he had experienced this.

The Chief Constable said in his letter that there had been 58 assaults on police officers in the last financial year.

In court, Hutchinson pleaded guilty to breaching a domestic abuse order, being drunk and disorderly, provoking behaviour, property damage, resisting arrest, and three counts of assaulting a police officer.

He will be sentenced on July 7 at the Court of General Gaol Delivery.

Prosecuting advocate Mr Swain told the court that police received a 999 call reporting an incident at an address in Douglas on May 9, at 1.23am.

Neighbours reported a man and woman shouting and screaming, during a row outside a property, lasting around 45 minutes.

running

When officers arrived, they saw Hutchinson running off. A short time later, police received a second 999 call, from a man at a nearby property.

He said that he had heard shouting outside and saw Hutchinson kicking over bins.

He went out and asked him to pick up the bins, however, this prompted Hutchinson to make abusive comments and physically threaten him.

The man said Hutchinson then started approaching his door so he went back inside, but could hear him shouting ‘faggot’ and making threats to beat him up.

Police found the defendant on a grass footpath nearby and he then tried to barge past an officer, saying: ‘Don’t come anywhere near me.’

Officers tried to put handcuffs on him but he threw himself onto the ground, shouting: ‘I’m not going to make this easy for you.’

Hutchinson continued to be aggressive, kicking out at police, laughing and tensing his arms.

He then punched a female officer in the eye and tried to bite another officer on the leg.

Officers used Pava spray to try to restrain him, but this still didn’t stop him and he then kicked backwards twice, catching an officer on the arm.

Further officers were called to assist as Hutchinson continued kicking out and swearing at them.

He was eventually put in leg restraints and handcuffs.

However, once at police headquarters, Hutchinson defecated on a bed in a cell, then put a plastic cup down a toilet, causing it to flood.

During an interview, he answered ‘no comment’ to most questions, but then said he couldn’t remember much.

He said he had started drinking at 2pm after buying drinks at the Co-op, and then remembered going to O’Donnell’s pub, but the next thing he recalled was waking up in a police cell.

Hutchinson, who lives at Albany Street in Douglas, told police he had drunk an amount that would ‘normally kill someone’.

Mr Swain read out some details from a letter from the Chief Constable, in which he said: ‘All too frequently police officers are subjected to intimidation and assault.

‘It is never acceptable to assume it is part of their job.’

The letter said that assaults on officers impacted police resources as there were then absences from work and restrictions on their duties.

The Chief Constable said in his letter that, in the last financial year, there had been 58 police officers assaulted, and added ‘when attacked they become victims like anyone else.’

serious

Mr Swain said that he endorsed the Chief Constable’s views and submitted that the case was too serious for summary court and should go to the Court of General Gaol for sentencing.

Defence advocate Casey Houareau submitted that it should remain in summary court, asking for credit to be given for her client’s guilty pleas, and saying that no harm had come to the woman concerned.

Ms Houareau asked for a probation report to be prepared.

Magistrates declined summary court jurisdiction and committed Hutchinson to the higher court.

No bail application was made and he is remanded in custody.

The case will be due for mention on June 23.