BRADFORD, UK – A man has been jailed for assaulting two police officers during a violent incident in Bradford, leaving one officer with a permanent scar and a broken hand.
Christopher Athanasiou, 36, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to two years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and common assault of an emergency worker.
The attack occurred in April, when officers attempted to arrest Athanasiou after he allegedly assaulted a member of the public. During the struggle, he tried to punch one officer, causing the second to fall and injure her hand.
The injury required six weeks off work and left the officer with a visible scar, which she said would appear in her upcoming wedding photos—adding emotional weight to the physical trauma.
Judge Ahmed Nadim, in passing sentence, criticized Athanasiou’s “anti-police” attitude and noted that he was already under two suspended sentences at the time of the attack.
“Such assaults on the police are never an occupational hazard,” the judge said. “These incidents damage overall police morale and create significant challenges for victims returning to frontline duties.”
The court heard that the assaulted officers were responding to a public disturbance when the violence escalated. Athanasiou’s sentence reflects the court’s effort to uphold zero tolerance for assaults on emergency workers.
