Posted on 03/02/2006 1:11:05 PM PST by iPod Shuffle
Policeman attacked boy with club
A policeman who attacked a 12-year-old boy with a golf club has been admonished after a sheriff said there was a high degree of provocation.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how firearms officer Alistair Drummond, 40, snapped after his home in Glasgow's Pollokshaws area was pelted with eggs.
He attacked the boy whom he believed was behind the incident.
Drummond, who has since resigned, was found guilty of assault but admonished due to the circumstances.
The court heard how homeowners in Parkhill Drive, Pollokshaws, suffered problems with youths in 2004.
They had footballs and litter landing in their gardens and apples and eggs thrown at their homes.
Drummond, who lived in the street with his family, told the trial that it was "a nuisance".
On 6 September that year, Drummond's wife Susan was in the garden when she heard eggs cracking off the side of the house.
She called her husband, who broke off from his shift with Strathclyde Police to try and catch the culprits.
Bruised and bloodied
He found the victim and his friends, who were aged between eight and 12 years, and confronted them.
Drummond said he assumed they had been involved due to "a bit of bother" with them in the past.
The victim told the court he was holding a golf club that Drummond pushed towards him, striking him on the face.
He added that the officer then grabbed the nine-iron and snapped it.
The boy said his face was left bruised and bloodied as a result.
Drummond, also a former military policeman, denied the assault, claiming he "brushed" the club away when the child pointed it at him.
Reckless damage
He told the court: "I spoke firmly with the boys. I said 'no more eggs'.
"I was stern, but not shouting.
"I told them that the neighbours were fed up and that they were to stay away from the houses."
Drummond, who now works in offshore helicopter rescue, shook his head as he was convicted of assault and reckless damage by snapping the club.
But Sheriff Anthony Deutsch showed some sympathy to the ex-constable by admonishing him.
He added: "I regard this to be a relatively minor incident. This is a man who has an otherwise unblemished record and I believe there was a high degree of provocation."
FORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooliganism begins early, lots of role-models across the pond.
why did the boy have a club?
To bash Mr. Policeman on the head. Mr. Policeman pushed it away, then grabbed it and broke it in half.
For this he was fired and convicted of assault.
Sorry to hear about the bad news for the ex-cop.....but...I'll bet that little bastard has not been chucking any eggs lately
Actually, I hadn't read the whole article, but the ambiguous title struck me funny. Too bad about the officer. The kid seemed to deserve what he got.
"why did the boy have a club"?
When I was a young boy, had this man brought this to my fathers attention, he would have beaten me with the club, handed it to the man and allowed him to smack me a few times, made me go clean up the mess and mow the guys lawn all summer long.
Gee, I wish I was a kid now.
When somebody proposes to ban golf clubs in Scotland, on the grounds that they can be used as a weapon -- which will be soon, no doubt, now that this poor innocent little vandal has been bruised by a golf club wielding maniac -- the weapons-banning fad will finally be understood by the people to be total insanity.
I've READ enuf! It's DEfinately time to ban golf clubs.
"why did the boy have a club?"
er.... because golf clubs havn't yet been outlawed in UK? Is this a trick question?
This is what happens when you don't let police carry guns!
8-12 year old boys. Pathetic parents letting them run amok.
They need to be put in stocks in the town square and pelted with eggs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.