A drunken dad kicked-in the door of his family home before gouging a policeman's eye and headbutting another when they came to arrest him.
Shaun Watkins, who has a history of alcohol abuse, kicked-in the door of the home he was living at after his then-partner had locked him out. But when the police came to arrest him, the 32-year-old violently attacked them and gouged the eye of one officer before headbutting another.
Watkins, of Third Street, Horden, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday, via link from HMP Durham, to be sentenced for damaging property, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and assaulting an emergency worker. He pleaded guilty to the charges at the hearing.
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Matthew Hopkins, prosecuting, said Watkins and his then-partner had been in a long-term relationship and had two children together. Following his release from prison, he had been living with her. However, due to his alcohol issues, his partner would not allow him in the house if he'd been drinking and she would stay at another address whenever he did drink alcohol.
But on April 7 this year, Watkins had been out drinking and called his then-partner, telling her he would be returning to the house. The woman told him he was not allowed and then locked the home, took the key and went elsewhere. Watkins then turned up at the house that night and saw that he was locked out.
Mr Hopkins said: "He kicked the door down and went inside. A neighbour then called the police, who responded. A police officer entered the house and saw the defendant at the top of the stairs. He walked up the stairs and told the defendant he was under arrest. The defendant then pushed him to the chest with both hands; the officer said this was a clear attempt to push him down the stairs."
Watkins then "repeatedly punched" the officer in the face, who then activated an emergency button on his radio, before running at Watkins and dragging him to the floor. Mr Hopkins said: "He was trying to break free before he forced his thumb into the left eye of the officer. The officer said it was as hard as he could do it and he was in excruciating pain. He thought the defendant was trying to blind him."
Watkins then managed to put the officer in a "choke-hold" as another policeman came to his aid and then handcuffed Watkins. More officers turned up as Watkins was taken to the ground and continued to make violent threats and "homophobic slurs". It was then that he "threw his head back" and headbutted the arresting officer. Watkins was taken to the floor once again and eventually taken to a waiting van.
The court heard Watkins had 11 previous convictions for 21 offences, including criminal damage in January this year. In 2018 he was given a four-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm.
Mark Styles, defending, said Watkins "apologises for his behaviour" and "feels he has let himself down". He said that when he was released from prison in November 2019, he had been attempting to get sober and had attended AA meetings, meaning he could go back to live with his then-partner. Mr Styles added that "things had been going quite well" until a family tragedy led him to begin drinking alcohol again. "He is not proud of that", he said.
Judge Ray Singh jailed Watkins for 18 months.
