Bodycamera footage has captured the moment a man stabbed a female police officer in the face with a seven-inch bread knife.
Declan Diedrick, 25, had shown a “clear intent and determination” to hurt the responding officers, and has now been jailed for five years.
Essex Police were called to the incident in Harlow on 29 December 2023 after receiving reports of concern for the safety of Diedrick, who is of no fixed abode.
The first two officers at the scene were made aware that he was also in possession of a serrated kitchen knife, and altercation ensued when they tried to get him to put it down.
Before being handcuffed on the floor, he succeeded in stabbing PC Hollie Matthews in the face, an injury which required urgent hospital treatment.
In a statement, she said: “Policing is made up of real people, with families, with friends and with a life.
“I know I speak for myself and many others when I say I joined the police to be part of something that helps, something that supports, someone who runs towards the danger when everyone else runs away.
“This incident is one I have thought about everyday, often for hours on end, over and over. In moments like this in this job you don’t consider yourself to be anything other than a police officer – you do what is right and for me was stopping him from harming himself or others.
“However, the reality is under my uniform I am a person, a person with feelings, a person who is a human being, a person who is now a victim. The police are who you call in the worst moments of your life, yet I have been called to one of the worst of mine.”
Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Diedrick was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, having previously pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and wounding without intent.
Superintendent Tony Atkin of Essex Police said: “This incident shows the best of our officers and the dangers they face; our officers were at the scene within minutes of receiving a call for help, and then faced Diedrick as he repeatedly tried to attack them with a knife.
“From arriving at the scene to arresting Diedrick, there was less than 60 seconds. This highlights the professionalism and effectiveness of those on scene, and shockingly, how quickly he could have injured them further.
“Diedrick had a clear intent and determination to harm those officers and the violence he showed that night was truly horrifying.
“The first two officers on the scene were subject to a savage attack, with one sustaining a serious stab wound to the face. Despite everything those officers went through they remain in frontline policing duties and continue to help the people of Harlow.”
