Moment police tackle man who stabbed female officer in the head with bread knife
Body camera footage captured the moment a man stabbed a female police officer in the face with a seven-inch bread knife.
Declan Diedrick, 25, had shown “clear intent and determination” to harm responding officers and has now been jailed for five years.
Essex Police were called to the incident in Harlow on December 29, 2023, after receiving concerns for the safety of Diedrick, who is of no fixed abode.
The first two officers on the scene noticed that he also had a serrated kitchen knife, and when he tried to put it down, an argument broke out.
He managed to stab PC Hollie Matthews in the face before being handcuffed on the ground; This injury required emergency hospital treatment.
In a statement he said: “Policing is made up of real people who have families, friends and a life.
“I know I speak for myself and others when I say I joined to be part of something that helps and supports the police, to be part of someone running towards danger when everyone else is running.
“This incident is something I think about over and over, for hours every day. It’s moments like this in this business where you see yourself as nothing more than a police officer – you’re doing the right thing and for me you were stopping him from harming himself or others.”
“But the truth is that underneath my uniform I am a human being, a human being with feelings, a human being, a human being who is now a victim. The police are the person you call in the worst moments of your life, but I was called to one of my worst moments.”
Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Diedrick was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, having previously pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and wounding without intent.
Inspector Tony Atkin, of Essex Police, said: “This incident shows the best of our officers and the dangers they face – they arrived at the scene within minutes of receiving a call for help and were later confronted by Diedrick when he repeatedly tried to attack them with a knife.
“There was less than 60 seconds from arrival at the scene to Diedrick’s arrest. This shows the professionalism and efficiency of those at the scene and, surprisingly, how quickly he was able to injure them.”
“Diedrick had a clear intent and determination to harm these officers and his violence that night was truly appalling.
“The first two officers to arrive at the scene were subjected to a brutal attack, with one of them suffering a serious stab wound to the face. Despite everything these officers have been through, they remain frontline policing officers and continue to help the people of Harlow.”
