Yob yelled: '˜I'm a psycho' while abusing police

Wigan and Leigh CourthouseWigan and Leigh Courthouse
Wigan and Leigh Courthouse
A drunken yob who yelled: 'I'm a psycho' at police officers during a foul-mouthed tirade in a town centre has been fined.

Ashley Kelshaw, from Leigh, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court.

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The court heard police officers were dealing with an incident on Leigh Road at around 1am on August 12 and had just arrested a man when two other revellers came over and started acting aggressively.

Prosecuting, Nicola Ormerod said the men, who had clearly been drinking, asked why their friend had been arrested and when the officers explained Kelshaw, of Gordon Street, became abusive.

The court heard the 33-year-old targeted one particular officer and directed a volley of foul-mouthed abuse towards them. He also stepped within around a foot of them and started filming on his mobile phone before continuing to swear and shout at them as well as waving his arms around in an intimidating manner .

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Representing himself, Kelshaw said: “I would like to apologise for my behaviour. I had drunk way too much and it was a bad mistake. I would like to apologise to everyone involved.”

The magistrates fined him £160 and also ordered him to pay £85 and a £30 victim’s surcharge.

While there is scant evidence on the amount of verbal abuse suffered by officers, physical assaults are on the rise. Recent figures showed across the whole of Greater Manchester there were three assaults on police officers every day.

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And the police’s own figures revealed there had been 951 assaults on police in 2015, with the rate rising over the last two years at a time when Government cuts are being particularly felt among forces nationwide and officer numbers continue to fall. The number of bobbies in Greater Manchester fell to below 7,000.

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