He apparently didn’t want the chicken to ‘go to waste’ and lashed out
A “volatile” young troublemaker became enraged when police tried to arrest him while he was cooking chicken in his mother’s kitchen – and he headbutted one of the officers during a “violent and aggressive” struggle. Lyndon Burdett did not want the chicken to “go to waste” and he started shouting and angrily lashed out during the “hostile” confrontation, Hull Crown Court heard.
Burdett, 26, of Barrow Lane, Hessle, but recently in custody on remand, admitted assaulting a male police officer, causing actual bodily harm, and assaulting a female officer as an emergency worker on November 24 last year. He also admitted two earlier offences of assaulting police officers on August 11 last year and another of racially aggravated harassment of police on August 10 last year.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, said that police went to a house in Hull after Burdett’s mother contacted them in fear of what might happen concerning her son. He was in breach of a bail condition by being there.
His mother met them at the door and Burdett was in the kitchen cooking chicken. Police told him: “You are not allowed to be here. You are on police bail. You are under arrest to prevent a breach of the peace.”
A male officer took hold of Burdett’s arm but he “tensed up immediately” and tried to pull away. Burdett started shouting and said that he did not want the chicken to “go to waste”.
He was told: “Stop shouting” and he was pushed against the top of a cupboard. There was a struggle and he had to be stopped from picking up a knife.
He was taken to the floor. Police told him: “Stay on the floor.” Burdett swung his head back, hitting the officer in the eye area. He kicked out at a female officer.
The male constable told the court: “I lost the sight in my left eye for a period of days.” There was muscular damage. “There was spotting in my left eye for about a week,” he said.
The officer claimed that the headbutt was “deliberate” but Burdett denied this and claimed that it was reckless.
Defence barrister John Dunning said that Burdett was “affable” at first. Mr Dunning told the constable: “There was no violence until you laid hands on him”.
Burdett told the court: “It was quite a hostile environment and I think the arrest was quite violent and aggressive. I accidentally hit the front of his face.
“I was in lots of pain. I asked him not to touch me. I was uncomfortable because of the aggression. That response was involuntary because of the pain I was in. He slammed my head into a cupboard.”
During the two separate earlier assaults on police, Burdett started to struggle, grabbed a male officer’s wrist and started to scratch it while they were trying to arrest him and alter the position of handcuffs. He also grabbed and scratched another officer’s wrists.
Judge John Thackray KC said that it was a “clear and obvious headbutt” and Burdett was resisting arrest. “This was a deliberate, forceful and intentional headbutt to the officer’s face,” said Judge Thackray.
Burdett was acting in an “extremely volatile and aggressive manner” during the arrest. “You have been given chances and you have gone on to commit serious offences,” said Judge Thackray.
Burdett was jailed for two years.