By Gemma Fraser
Head of content
The sentencing of a thug jailed for a “despicable attack” on a police officer should send a message that such violence will not be tolerated, the Chief Constable has said.
PC Rebecca Martin-Palmer was brutally attacked by a man with a string of convictions for violence after she told him there was a warrant out for his arrest.
Jamie Docherty threatened to stab and kill her, before stamping on her head. She sustained multiple injuries during the attack at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow last August, and has still not returned to work.
Docherty was convicted of assaulting PC Martin-Palmer to her injury and danger of life and was jailed for five years at the High Court in Glasgow (main picture) by Lord Arthurson, who described his actions as “appalling criminal conduct towards a serving police officer”.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell paid tribute to the “bravery and professionalism” of PC Martin-Palmer, who chased after Docherty when he fled the hospital, despite her injuries, and described it as a “despicable attack on an officer who was carrying out her duties”.
She added: “Officers are placed in difficult, at times dangerous, situations daily and I am clear that being assaulted is not part of the job.
“Where attacks happen, we want to give our people the best possible support, and it is important we follow cases through to conviction and sentence to send a clear message that violence against police officers and staff is not tolerated.”
The attack happened when Docherty was taken to the QEUH after being found unconscious in the street. The court heard that he had a string of previous convictions for violence, disorder and other offences.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell
After PC Martin-Palmer told him he was going to be arrested for an outstanding warrant, Docherty ordered her not to touch him and was “in the officer’s face”, clenching his fists and adopting a fighting stance.
He then hit her in the face with a plastic container before threatening to stab her, and stamped on her head after she fell to the ground.
On sentencing, Lord Arthurson said: “You threatened to kill and to stab your victim, a serving police officer who was acting in the course of her duties.
“Your assault upon her was sustained, exceptionally violent, and was to the danger of her life.
“The court will continue to regard such deplorable attacks upon police officers as offending of the utmost gravity, and will consequently deal with the perpetrators of such crimes with considerable severity.”
David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said the seriousness of the incident “cannot and should not be underestimated”.
“Let me be clear, the impact of incidents like this, which happen in an instant, can be absolutely life-changing for those involved,” he said.
“I pay my greatest professional and personal respect to the colleagues involved. They are a credit to the police service, and the public they serve.
“I welcome the words of Lord Arthurson when he said the courts will ‘continue to regard such deplorable attacks upon police officers as offending of the utmost gravity’ and acknowledge the significant sentence imposed in this case.
“It is my sincere hope that Docherty is never considered for early release in respect of these matters, and serves every second of the sentence imposed. It is the very least that colleagues involved, and the public more broadly, deserve.”