Man Jailed For Eight Years After Brutal Attack Left Female Officer With Brain Injury A man from Sidcup has been jailed for eight years after he subjected two female police officers to a brutal attack, leaving one with a serious brain injury. Mark Weatherley, 43, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court after admitting two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The court heard that the two officers attended his address in Sidcup, southeast London, following a report that he had assaulted his mother. Upon their arrival, Weatherley became aggressive, calling the officers ‘scum’ and ‘fcking slgs,’ while shouting, ‘I hate you with a passion, I hate the lot of you’. When the officers attempted to calm him down, he punched both of them in the face. He then continued to kick and punch them as they lay on the floor, leaving both unconscious. One of the officers sustained a traumatic brain injury as a result of the assault. Following his arrest, Weatherley remained so violent that police were unable to take a custody photograph. The only image they could release was a still taken from the body worn camera of one of the officers he attacked. While in custody, he commented, ‘I think I killed her; I think I snapped that girls’ neck when I punched her. That c–t. That’ll teach her for coming in my house without a search warrant and not leaving when I asked her to.’ He also added, ‘They could have been two geezers, and I would have f*cking killed them. The only reason I didn’t stamp on them was because they were women.’ The court was told Weatherley has previous convictions for racially aggravated common assault, assaulting emergency workers, and malicious communications. In a victim impact statement, one officer said she was left ‘traumatised’, continues to suffer from pain in her head, experiences pain when eating, and might never be able to return to work. Her colleague stated she now suffers from constant panic attacks and insomnia and is undergoing therapy. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Christopher Grout told Weatherley, ‘These two officers had attended your property that day in order to help a member of the public, your mother, who they believed needed assistance. As a result of trying to help someone they were subjected to the most brutal of attacks. You repeatedly punched and kicked the officers, returning to each of them to continue with the assaults. There are, at present, undoubtedly psychological conditions that are continuing to affect the officers, neither of whom have yet returned to work.’ The judge added, ‘True it is that you said some truly appalling things to the officers, and about the police more generally, but this was not an attack which can properly be said to have been one borne out of revenge. What prompted the attack was your misguided belief that you had done nothing wrong and that the officers had no right to be at your address coupled with the officers’ attempt to arrest you.’ Judge Grout described Weatherley as a ‘significant risk to members of the public’ as he sentenced him to eight years in prison. Weatherley will be required to spend an additional four years on licence upon his release. What are your thoughts on the sentencing for assaults committed against emergency service workers? For more stories from the front line of the emergency services and criminal justice system, follow us and sign up for our free newsletter, the link is in our bio.