A bricklayer named Marcus Carpenter from Ebbw Vale hit a female police officer in the face on Boxing Day after she attempted to stop him from leaving the scene of a crash. The incident took place at a collision site in Tredegar, where police had been called to investigate a car that had collided with a parked vehicle. When officers approached Carpenter and started questioning him, he tried to walk away. Prosecutors revealed that PC Mia Gray tried to prevent Carpenter from leaving, to which he responded aggressively and struck her in the face. While the blow caused pain to PC Gray’s lip, it did not result in any physical injury.
Following the assault, Carpenter was arrested and taken to Ystrad Mynach police station. Reports described him as being unsteady on his feet, slurring his speech, and refusing to provide a breath sample, despite being warned of the legal consequences. During the court hearing at Newport Magistrates’ Court, Carpenter admitted to assaulting an emergency worker, failing to provide a specimen of breath, and being drunk and disorderly on a separate occasion outside his residence on November 19. Carpenter’s solicitor, Ben Waters, highlighted his client’s struggles with mental health due to multiple family bereavements, noting that Carpenter found the holidays particularly challenging as they were usually spent with his loved ones.
Waters mentioned that Carpenter attempted to cope with his mental health issues by working as a self-employed bricklayer during the day. However, evenings were more difficult for him as he would ruminate on past memories with his deceased family members. Regarding the assault on PC Gray, Waters clarified that Carpenter clenched his fists while resisting arrest, and the strike was not a deliberate punch. Carpenter expressed remorse immediately after realising he had hit the officer. The court heard that Carpenter had a history of similar offences and was assessed by the probation service as posing a high risk of reoffending.
Presiding Justice Jeffrey Russell decided to follow the probation service’s recommendation and sentenced Carpenter to a 12-month community order. The order included a six-month alcohol treatment requirement, 12 mental health treatment sessions, 10 rehabilitation activity sessions, a £300 fine, £114 victim services surcharge, and £85 in prosecution costs. Additionally, Carpenter received a 50-month driving ban due to his prior driving offences. Justice Russell aimed to address Carpenter’s risk of reoffending through rehabilitation and support for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By imposing a community order instead of a custodial sentence, the court sought to assist Carpenter in addressing his mental health challenges and working towards rehabilitation.