On the evening of December 19 last year, police were called to reports that Alex Robinson had assaulted his ex-partner at her home in Murton, County Durham. The caller told police Robinson was driving away from the scene, heading in the direction of his home in Station Road North.
When officers attended his home, Robinson refused to comply and threw a wrench at them. Despite being Tasered, the 25-year-old ran off towards the rear of the house before emerging from the garage carrying an axe and began chasing the officers. The officers retreated to their marked police car, where Robinson began smashing the windows and swinging the axe at the pair inside.
The officers managed to flee the area, and firearms officers from the Roads and Armed Policing Unit were called to assist. Robinson was located in a nearby shed, still carrying the axe, which he threw at the armed officers. He was detained by a police dog and brought into custody, where he flooded his cell.
Guilty verdict and sentence
Following an investigation by Peterlee CID, Robinson, of Murton, was charged with several offences. He pleaded guilty to possession of a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place, affray, criminal damage, and assaulting an emergency worker. He denied two charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, but a jury found him guilty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
He appeared back at court on Tuesday (July 28), where he was jailed for nine years.
Officer describes attack
In a victim impact statement, one of the officers said: "I have been a police officer for four years now and I come to work as I always have – to help people, safeguard members of the community, and ensure the safety of all members of the public and my colleagues. I have never felt more in fear for my life than when Robinson came at me with the axe while I was in the car. Never have I felt more sure that I was going to be hurt, or even killed, with the force that Robinson was hitting the axe off the car’s B pillar, exactly where my head was within the car. He then brought it to the passenger window where I was sat and continued to swing the axe at me, despite the window already being smashed, showing that this was not just to damage the car but me too."
Investigation lead's response
Detective Constable Hannah Dring, who led the investigation, said: "The levels of violence shown by Robinson that evening were appalling. While the very nature of policing requires officers to attend potentially dangerous situations, it is never acceptable to assume that assaults on officers are simply ‘part of the job’. It's important to remember that police officers and staff are people with their own families – assaults not only have a physical impact, but a psychological effect on both the officer or staff member, and their family, friends, and colleagues. Robinson is clearly a dangerous and violent individual, so I am pleased he is now behind bars serving a custodial sentence."
