Plymouth man jailed for strangling a female police officer and pushing another to the floor

A man who assaulted two police officers and continued to strangle one of them, despite her telling him she couldn't breathe, has been jailed.

Aaron Doherty has been jailed for 15 months after the attack, which took place in August 2023.

The 31-year-old was stopped by the pair in Devonport shortly before 10pm on 29 August following information that he had breached the conditions of a court-issued protection order.

Doherty, from Strabane in Northern Ireland, prevented them from handcuffing him safely by locking his arms, before pushing one of the officers to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the floor.

He then pushed the second officer to the floor as well before running away and hiding in a garden.

The two police women chased after him and when one of them attempted to arrest him, Doherty grabbed her by the throat.

She told him "You’re strangling me, I can’t breathe", but he continued to hold onto her.

Doherty also grabbed the other officer's wrist when she approached and twisted it, causing her pain.

The pair was able to gain control of him until additional officers arrived on the scene and Doherty was arrested.

He said he had no intention of harming the two women and was unaware of the injuries caused to them when Devon and Cornwall Police interviewed him.

Doherty pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency service worker and one count of intentional strangulation.

He was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday 8 December 2023.

Patrol Inspector Roger Hocking said: “This incident has had a profound and lasting effect on two officers who attended that night.

“I want to praise them both for their professionalism and continued efforts to detain Doherty, after he had assaulted them both and fled.

“No one goes to work to be assaulted and violence against officers will not be tolerated. As this result shows, we will take seek to bring offenders to justice for these offences.”