Man behind bars for giving officer black eye at Walsall house party
The defendant told the court he was "sorry" for assaulting officer.
A man has been jailed for assaulting a police officer who was answering a 999 call to a house party resulting in her suffering a black eye.
The officer was among emergency workers arriving to assist with the aftermath of an earlier matter at a flat in Blakenall Lane in Blakenall, Walsall on September 9 last year.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that defendant Scott Griffiths, aged 35, was staying at the property which was hosting a party and “a lot of people” were drinking and smoking.
Some of the officers were tending to one of the partygoers who was covered in blood relating to a separate incident.
Meanwhile, Griffiths was attempting to leave the flat via the balcony and jumped to the ground below.
Other officers including the victim jumped to the ground with him in a bid to stop him at which there was scuffling and the officer was hurt in the melee.
Allison Scott-Jones, prosecuting, said while trying to detain him the officer sustained swelling to her face and a “nasty black eye" in what was “clearly an unpleasant incident”.
She said Griffiths, who has a significant number of previous convictions, was arrested at the scene. He had previously been punished for assaulting a police officer in 2015 and had shoplifting convictions, but had no offending was recorded from 2018-2024.
He was given a suspended three-month sentence for shop theft in 2025 which was activated in August 2026, meaning he will serve the three-month in prison for that offence.
He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm against the officer at an earlier hearing. In her victim impact statement the officer said her job was to protect the public and keep people safe. She stated she was still feeling pain including headaches as a result of what happened and had to go home to her family with her face bruised following her shift.
Imogen Smalley, defending, said Griffiths accepted he made a mistake and had been using crack cocaine for six years. “He admitted that his behaviour was reckless ad cannot say how the incident happened. He was in the throes of addiction and still is.”
Miss Smalley added that Griffiths asked her to apologise to the officer on his behalf stating: “I’m really sorry. It was an accident.”
For the assault Griffiths, of Stafford Street, Walsall, was jailed for 20 months minus 203 days already served. He must also pay the victims’ surcharge £187.