August 14th 2024.
Next up, we have a story about a brave police officer who found himself in a terrifying situation. PC Ashley Aspinall was on duty in Blackpool, Lancashire when he was viciously attacked by a drunk man named Ian Scott. The incident took place on April 7th of last year and it left both Ashley and his colleagues in shock.
It all started when Scott was kicked out of a bar and the officers attempted to arrest him. Unfortunately, the situation quickly escalated and before he knew it, Ashley was lying unconscious on the pavement with Scott on top of him. To make matters worse, Scott continued to verbally abuse Ashley as he lay there, bleeding from a head injury.
The injuries Ashley sustained were severe and he ended up spending 11 days in the hospital. It was a difficult and painful recovery, but the thought of his daughter gave him the strength to push through. He had to take four months off work before he could return to his duties as a police officer. During his time in the hospital, Ashley vividly remembers the concerned voices of the paramedics who were treating him. Their fear and urgency were palpable as they tended to his injuries.
Ashley recalls, "I recognized one of the paramedics' voices from working with her in the past. Hearing her panic, I knew that my injuries were serious. They later told me that if the incident had happened during the day, they would have called for a helicopter to airlift me to a hospital due to the severity of the injuries."
While lying on the ground, Ashley also tried to communicate with his colleagues, but his brain wasn't functioning properly. "I kept calling them by the wrong names, even though I knew their names. It was a scary experience," he shared.
The emotional impact of the incident was significant for Ashley. He remembers feeling like he was going to die and making peace with that thought. But the only thing that kept him going was the thought of his daughter and all the future milestones he wanted to be there for. "I thought about taking her to her first day of school, her school prom, and all the opportunities that were yet to come. It was the only thing that kept my spirits up and distracted me from the excruciating pain."
To this day, Ashley still doesn't remember what triggered the attack. The incident continues to haunt him and he often wonders if there was anything he could have done differently. "I followed all the protocols and policies, including the five-step appeal, before making the decision to arrest the suspect. I don't believe that my actions warranted such a brutal attack," he said.
The trauma of that evening also affected some of Ashley's colleagues who witnessed the attack. They are still receiving support to cope with the aftermath of the incident.
In court, Scott pleaded guilty to a section 20 wounding of an emergency service worker. He was given a 24-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation. He also has to complete a 120-day alcohol abstinence requirement, 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and 200 hours of unpaid work. Despite this outcome, Ashley and his colleagues are still struggling to make sense of the senseless attack.
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