Video: Jailed for samurai sword cop attack

11:48am Tuesday 15th July 2008

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A 45-YEAR-OLD man who attacked a police officer with a samurai sword has been jailed.

Richard Skeates, of St Hilda's Way, Gravesend, was sentenced to 11 years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court with a recommendation he should serve a minimum of five-and-a-half years.

The sentencing on July 10 followed a five-day trial in May in which he was convicted of GBH with intent.

The court heard how on October 20 last year PC John Clarke of north Kent police visited Skeates' home with another officer to arrest him for breaching an ASBO.

Nobody answered the door but officers knew he was in the house after seeing him peering through a window.

After 20 minutes PC Clarke broke down the door.

As he entered the living room Skeates emerged from behind a door armed with a samurai sword. PC Clarke fired pepper spray into his face but Skeates smashed the sword down onto the officer's forehead.

Despite the blow, PC Clarke wrestled the attacker to the floor to arrest him and returned to work the next day.

When police searched Skeates' home they found a cache of martial art weapons, including four different types of knife, six batons, three nunchucku, some ninja death stars and a smaller samurai sword.

Sentencing Skeates, Judge Michael Lawson said: "You attacked PC Clarke with great violence.

"It is a miracle the damage done to him was neither fatal nor caused severe physical or mental damage through breaking of the skull."

I WANTED STITCHES AND A BURGER'

SPEAKING after the hearing, PC Clarke, 27, who is married and soon to become a father for the first time, said: "When people ask me how I got the scar I tend to tell them I fell off my bike, otherwise I waste so much time telling the story.

"When you tell someone you were hit with a samurai sword, they want to know more."

He added: "I don't regret joining the police at all, but reflecting back on things - my injuries could have been fatal.

"At the time I just wanted to get stitched up and go for a burger."