Two men jailed after police officers punched and bitten on street

Hamad Gernas, 23, and Adam Issa, 33, were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

Gernas was found guilty of three counts of aggravated bodily harm and Issa of two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis, at an earlier hearing.

On October 24 of last year, four West Midlands Police officers were patrolling Villa Road in Lozells, Birmingham.

They had been authorised to use dispersal order powers after concerns were raised over suspicious activity in the area.

Acting on intelligence, one of the officers asked Gernas to provide his details but he became aggressive.

The remaining three officers attempted to calm him down but he remained argumentative.

Issa then appeared at the scene and threw a bicycle at a policeman which hit the back of his head as well as hitting a second officer on the back.

A brave member of the public then intervened and prevented Issa from grabbing a piece of fruit to throw at the officer.

With his aid, police were able to detain Issa.

During the arrest of Gernas, an officer was punched, another was bitten and a third received a sprained arm.

Three of the four police workers who were assaulted required hospital treatment for their injuries which were not considered serious.

Gernas, of Hamilton Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to seven months in prison.

Issa, of no fixed abode, was jailed for six months.

Ch Insp Sara Beech from Birmingham Police said: "Four of our officers were assaulted while just trying to their job, which will not be tolerated.

"Nobody should face violence and abuse whilst trying to protect the public.

"Assaulting emergency workers is not just about physical visible injuries but also the mental harm the experience causes.

"I also want to say a huge thank you to the courageous member of the public who stepped in and intervened during the incident.

"We will bring those to justice who think violence against our officers is acceptable."