Man jailed for throwing garden ornament at police officer

Troy Craig Park, 27, from Eastfield and formerly of East Knapton, was found guilty by jury on Thursday 24 November 2016 of assault and criminal damage.

On the night of Sunday 15 August 2015, two PCSOs were patrolling the Eastfield area and encountered Park who was in an agitated state and was verbally abusive towards them.

A short time later, they returned to Eastfield police station and were carrying out administrative duties when a concrete garden ornament was thrown through the ground floor window.

The ornament bounced off a desk into the face of one of the PCSOs, hitting her in the face and chest, breaking her spectacles and causing bruising and numerous cuts to her face, neck, chest, jaw and ribs.

Park was arrested four days later and subsequently charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

He pleaded not guilty to the offence but was found guilty following a three-day trial at York Crown Court where he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a further eight months’ imprisonment for an unrelated assault.

Inspector Andy Short of Scarborough police, said: “The sentence handed out to Mr Park demonstrates how seriously the criminal justice system views deliberate violence against the police service and sends a clear message that assaulting those tasked with keeping the public safe will not be tolerated."

Thankfully the officer has fully recovered from her injuries and returned to work three weeks after the incident.