Knifeman Kai Green has been locked up for five years after a 'ferocious' knife attack on a courageous Nottinghamshire Police officer who thought he was "going to die". Violent Green, 18, of Larkfield Road, Nuthall, launched the persistent attack with a "highly dangerous" flick knife in North Sherwood Street, between Forest Road East and Mansfield Road in Nottingham city centre.
Two officers - Sgt Daniel Griffin and PC Amy Pannell - had spotted former care worker Green, a convicted robber, standing near a parked Range Rover. They smelt cannabis as they passed him in the street.
They went to confront him - but Green shouted at them and told them to go away.
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Then Green chased Sgt Griffin - and "hunted him down," said Mr Justice Bourne - stabbing him in his right buttock twice, causing deep injuries. Green delivered a third blow with the blade to an unknown spot on his body, and then, totally off the ground, forced the knife into the brave officer's chest - but he was saved by his stab vest.
Sgt Griffin, who has worked on the frontline in Nottingham city for nearly eight years, bravely stood up to Green - despite being wounded - and used his police-issue incapacitant spray to stop his attacker. He overpowered him, leaving Green to go to the ground from the affects of the spray.
PC Pannell, who was previously in the Army, put her hand on his stab wound as she wanted to stop the blood loss as she thought he could die. Her statement revealed she firmly believed Sgt Griffin was lucky to be alive, and she will remember the incident for the rest of her life.
"I honestly thought Daniel was going to die," she said.
A police officer for one year and eight months, she chillingly believed that after Green had "finished off" Sgt Griffin, he would stab her. Sgt Griffin needed stitches to stab wounds to his right buttock and was on a major trauma ward at Queen's Medical Centre after losing a large amount of blood.
His statement read: "This was a ferocious attack, and I believe anything could have happened".
A married dad, the officer spent four months off work, saying he honestly thought he was "going to die", looking back on how events spiralled that day. His return to work has been phased and he is left with scars reminding him of the terror he endured.
"I'm in complete shock and feel lucky to be able to make this statement," he said 50 hours after the attack. "This is the most dangerous person I have ever encountered".
His emotional statement - read out by Miss Abi Joyce, prosecuting - revealed the massive impact on his family, and how they are proud he is a police officer, and on his health.
Sgt Griffin was saved by his layers of clothing, including the stab vest, on April 25 this year, but had two painful injuries to his buttock. Green was cleared by a jury of attempting to murder him- but had already admitted he caused grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a bladed article in a public place.
Mr Justice Bourne told Green he launched a terrifying attack on Sgt Griffin - terrifying because there was so little explanation for it. "What you did was so utterly out of proportion for the situation you were in".
After he chased Sgt Griffin and "hunted him down", he plunged a knife into him with three separate blows. "This was an unprovoked ferocious attack", added the judge. He considered him to be "dangerous", passing an extended licence period on release (after serving 40 months of the five-year term,) of three years in relation to the GBH with intent charge. For the knife offence, a nine-month sentence was imposed concurrently.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a deliberate act by Green that resulted in an officer doing his job being seriously injured. If the officer had not been wearing his stab vest, this easily could have been the killing of a police officer on the streets of Nottingham. Fortunately he survived and the fact he has returned to duty – despite still experiencing pain and discomfort from his wounds – is a testament to his commitment to policing and keeping communities safe.
“This was a horrendous ordeal for him and his family. Green is clearly a very dangerous man, and his conviction sends a clear message that assaults on officers will not be tolerated in any form. Over a number of years there has been an increasing number of reports of assaults on officers and staff. This can cause physical and psychological harm to those who are dedicated public servants and coming under attack should not be part of the job.
“As a police force, we have made it clear that violence against officers and staff is utterly unacceptable and should never be seen as simply part of the job.”
Superintendent Kathryn Craner, the force’s knife crime lead, added: “When a knife is used in an incident there is always the potential for serious or potentially fatal consequences. That’s why we work so hard every day, working closely with our partners, to prevent people from making such decisions in the first place and to educate them of the serious consequences.
“The force is committed to stamping out knife crime and we’d urge anyone with information on knife crime in their local community to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.”
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