Police officer says attack was 'life-changing' in victim statement

Thomas McComish, who launched an attack on two officers, in Fingerpost last December, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, March 31.

Handcuffs 'save officer's life'

The court heard that the life of one of the victims was miraculously saved by his pair of handcuffs.

The blows were blocked by the handcuffs by complete chance as McComish tried to attack them.

Anthony O’Donohoe, prosecuting, told how a man and a woman were standing at a bus stop on Parr Street in St Helens shortly before 9.30pm on December 5 last year when they were approached by the defendant, who shouted "you daft b****" at them.

They initially ignored him but then noticed he was carrying a knife in his right hand and a bottle in his left. They fled the scene in fear.

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The 34-year-old followed them however, and chased them into a nearby car park.

Fortunately there, the pair spotted two police cars and alerted officers to the incident.

McComish was spotted on Parr Mount Street brandishing - a large carving knife.

PC Ian Hide shouted for him to drop the weapon, but he responded by throwing a bottle towards him.

It landed on the floor but did not smash and the officer threw the item back as McComish lunged at him.

PC Hide then tripped over a kerb and fell during a scuffle, leaving McComish "towering over him".

He "believed he was about to be seriously attacked and possibly killed" before his colleague PC John Rimmer came to his aid.  The 34-year-old defendant stabbed twice at the the second officer, who "felt the force of the contact" on the left-hand side of his torso and responded by punching his assailant in the face.

Police in Fingerpost on the night of the attack (Image: Submitted)

McComish, who "smelled strongly of alcohol" and was suspected of being under the influence of drugs, was knocked unconscious at this point.  PC Rimmer was “in shock" but realised that the blade had not actually pierced his skin and had been deflected by the fortuitous positioning of his handcuffs.

PC Hide suffered a broken left wrist during the incident.

'I can't believe I survived'

PC Hide suffered a broken left wrist during the incident and in a victim impact statement he said: “I don't feel like the confident, robust individual I was prior to the events of that night.

"It was a job that, as a police officer, you pray you never have to go to. It will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"I can't believe I survived.”

PC Hide described the incident as “life-changing”.

He added: "Who is he to think he has the right to try and harm me and innocent members of the public minding their own business?

“Nothing will ever take away what happened - I am certain that, in the absence of the police, the defendant would have at least stabbed a member of the public."

Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Stock)

Former soldier, McComish was taken to Aintree Hospital and was found to have suffered a broken nose and a fractured eye socket, which will leave his eyesight permanently damaged.  He continued to behave "aggressively" towards paramedics in the ambulance en route, then told hospital staff: “If you do that to me you will lose some teeth."

Defence barrister, Christopher Stables, said: “There is frank acceptance on the part of the defendant that this is an extremely serious case.

"On any view, it was a frightening and potentially dangerous incident. The commission of this offence is out of character for this defendant.

"The incident occurred while the defendant was very highly intoxicated, such that he has no recollection of the incident or the lead up to the incident at all.  “The fact he was heavily intoxicated can never excuse what occurred, but it may help to understand why this occurred and why the defendant behaved in a manner he has never behaved before.

"Thankfully, no serious injury resulted from this incident. The defendant himself suffered really quite serious injury.

"He was struck repeatedly during the incident, with no criticism intended. Nobody is suggesting that the police behaved unlawfully or out of proportion.”

Mr Stables said that the defendant, who has five previous convictions but none for violence, had got drunk after reacting badly to his daughter being taken into care. 

Jail sentence passed

McComish, of Morgan Street, Parr, pleaded guilty to two offences of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for seven years and nine months.

Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: "That incident must have been utterly terrifying for these officers and utterly terrifying for members of the public who witnessed what you were doing. It goes without saying how dangerous your behaviour was.

"It is more by fortune and the resilience of the officers that you did not complete the offence intended. You used serious, persistent violence towards two police officers, who were putting their lives at risk."

He will be on licence for four years following the end of his jail term.