Cheshire man bit hole in police officer's ear as he tried to avoid arrest

Daniel Ward left the male police constable, requiring surgery following the incident on Bridge Street in Runcorn Old Town at around 4.15pm on Friday, December 14, 2018.

Ward bit the officer as he was been arrested on suspicion of assault.

• WARNING: Graphic image follows

He had to be restrained by several officers with the aid of handcuffs and leg restraints, and while in custody he threatened to bite other officers.

Ward, of Norton Hill, Runcorn, was subsequently charged with wounding with intent, resisting arrest and a public order offence.

He pleaded guilty to all the offences, as well as to two counts of robbery and one count of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place in relation to an incident in a subway by The Knoll in Runcorn.

The subway incident occurred at around 6pm on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.

Ward was sentenced for his offences at Chester Crown Court on Monday, April 15.

He was sentenced to 13 years in prison with four years on extended licence.

A then 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy, both from Runcorn, had their bicycles stolen in the subway incident.

Ward threatened the victims with a knife and was arrested on the same day at an address in Charlton Close in Runcorn.

Officers recovered the two bikes from separate places in the town and Ward was identified as the knifepoint robber in subsequent ID parades.

• The police officer's injured ear following the assault

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Nathaniel Walkowiak, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit, said: “Ward subjected two young people to a terrifying ordeal in a subway in January 2018, threatening them with a knife as they had their bicycles stolen.

“Then in December 2018 he tore flesh from the ear of a police officer, biting the PC as he attempted to evade arrest.

“The officer was left with a serious injury that required surgery.

“The nature of policing inevitably requires officers to deal with violent and challenging situations, but being assaulted by members of the public should never be looked upon as an acceptable ‘part of the job’.

“Such incidents can have far-reaching effects, not only for the officer who has been assaulted and their loved ones but also for their colleagues and the communities we serve.

“When an officer has been assaulted they may have to take time off work or be placed on restricted duties whilst they recover from the physical and psychological effects of the incident.

“This increases pressures on other officers and can have a significant impact on the resourcing of incidents and the level of service we are able to provide to communities.

“The custodial service that Ward has been handed reflects the severity of the offences he committed and I am pleased that he is now behind bars where he is no longer a threat to the public.

“His victims will never be able to forget the ordeals he put them through, but I hope that the significant prison sentence he has received provides them with some closure and deters others from committing similar offences.”