An arrest warrant was issued for a Leeds man on the 6th of March, found guilty of assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Jack Dowson, 29, of Strawberry Avenue, Leeds, was found guilty today at Leeds Magistrates Court for assaulting PC Joshua Green on the 8th of August 2022.
Police were called to the address at 7am after an anonymous call alleged they had heard a shout of “let go of me please” from Mr Dowson’s house.
Prosecutor Olivia Fraser told the court that PC Green and PC Rhodes were called to the address and entered the house to find Mr Dowson.
Mr Dowson was not in attendance but PC’s Green and Rhodes were there to give evidence.
PC Green said they had entered the address and separated Mr Dowson and his partner, keeping the former in the kitchen. The court was shown body-cam footage of the defendant filming PC Green, stating the officer had entered the house illegally.
After a short exchange the decision was made to arrest Mr Dowson, at which point he became aggressive and pulled his arm away and “got into a fighting stance” according to PC Joshua Green.
The court then saw footage of the officers spraying Pava, similar to pepper spray, at Mr Dowson who then became aggressive shouting “go on I’ll f*****g have you!” and got PC Green in a headlock after an alleged attempted punch.
PC Green and PC Rhodes both stated that after the Pava took effect, Mr Dowson offered himself up for arrest.
The defendant was taken to Elland Road Police Station and interviewed the same day. Mr Dowson said he used to be a professional fighter and “wouldn’t miss a punch” if he was to throw one, in defence of his actions, stating he resisted arrest but didn’t assault the officer. He said he wasn’t in a good head space that morning after an argument with his partner which contributed to his actions towards the officer.
After a short retirement, the magistrates issued a warrant for Jack Dowson’s arrest.