Charlie Ruddick admits assault on an emergency worker after kicking out at officer
Published: 13:02, 19 September 2024
Updated: 13:49, 19 September 2024
An injured drunk kicked out at police and called one a “little p***y” after they took him to hospital to get checked over.
Charlie Ruddick was found with injuries in Ashford after going out for a boozy session but found himself under arrest as police tried to establish exactly what had happened.
However, after the 25 year old was taken to the William Harvey Hospital to get treatment because of the injuries he suffered, he became abusive to NHS staff and obstructive to the police – kicking an officer as they were trying to restrain him.
Ruddick, of St Davids Avenue, Dover, was later charged with assault on an emergency worker and admitted the offence when he appeared in the dock at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on September 13.
Magistrates were told he committed the offence while subject to a suspended sentence.
Sidumiso Moyo, prosecuting, told the court the incident happened on June 2.
Ms Moyo added: “Mr Ruddick was arrested over another matter, but he’d sustained minor injuries which needed attendance at the hospital.
“He became obstructive with two officers who had taken over custody of him (from the arresting officers) and NHS staff at the hospital.
“The officers attempted to move him to a private room, but he resisted one officer and attempted to physically assault him.”
However, the court heard the officers eventually managed to get him into the room, but Ruddick started to verbally abuse one.
The prosecutor added: “He called the officer a little p***y, and the officer replied he was not scared of him, but he stepped forward and lifted his left leg and kicked the officer.
“He was then restrained but again became agitated and started banging his head on a wall.”
Ms Moyo added that during interview Ruddick made no comment to officers about the incident.
She also told the court the officer had given a victim impact statement to say that sometimes in his role he had to care for people suffering mental health crises and sometimes got hurt, but that it was not acceptable to purposely and maliciously assault someone.
The prosecutor added: “In January 2024 he appeared at Lewes Crown Court for a wounding GBH offence and was given a suspended sentence of 18 months so he committed this new offence during the operational period of the suspended sentence.”
Hugh Roberts mitigating told the court his client had been drinking on the day in question.
He added: “He’d had alcohol, six pints and then four shots and then gets into trouble, but he’s now cutting it out altogether.”
Mr Roberts also told the court his client had completed 120 hours of unpaid work which had been given to him as part of his suspended sentence and that he had also attended one rehabilitation session with probation during that period, reports regularly to the service and was “doing all what is asked of him”, on the order.
He also suggested Ruddick could be given more unpaid work as a punitive punishment and the suspended sentence could be extended by up to six months to accommodate that.
Mr Roberts added: “He was a victim, he had been arrested but had been assaulted by two or three others and had injuries, but he had been drinking and says the officer slightly overreacted, as it wasn’t the most sensible thing to say.”
He also informed magistrates that the offence Ruddick got the suspended sentence for in 2024, was actually committed in 2020.
Magistrates told Ruddick that because he was given the suspended sentence at the crown court they should send his case back to the crown court to be sentenced as he had breached the order and it was important the court followed that protocol.
Ruddick will be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on a date to be fixed and was granted bail until then.
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KentOnline Court Reporter