A man has been sentenced after spitting at and racially abusing police officers on a number of occasions in Bury.
Benjamin Helliwell, 38, of Orchard Drive, Bury, was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to assaulting emergency workers, aggravated assault and racially aggravated assault on a number of occasions.
The first occasion took place on August 12, 2022, when Helliwell was behaving badly in a pub and police were called.
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Tom Farr, prosecuting, said how police offered to give Helliwell a lift back home, however Helliwell’s behaviour became threatening, and he said he was going to stab someone.
He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, however resisted arrest and ended up having to be restrained.
On December 14, 2022, police were in Bury Interchange on an operation when they noticed Helliwell on the Metrolink platform.
He started shouting and swearing at police and was asked to calm down.
Mr Farr said: “Helliwell walked off towards the Metrolink, then returned and continued to shout at the officers.
“He was found to have no tram ticket and was instructed to leave the platform.”
Helliwell then shouted “f*** off” to the officers and was arrested, he tried to resist and was tackled to the floor where he hit his head on a curb which caused a bad cut to his head.
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He was still resisting police and spat at them whilst being put into a police van.
Whilst in the police van, he racially assaulted one of the police officers calling him a P*** on two occasions.
On December 15, he was removed from his cell to be interviewed, however he became aggressive and spat at an officer and said he “didn’t like Asians”.
The interview was postponed to another date.
A number of officers who were subjected to Helliwell’s behaviour said they were distressed by the way they were treated and the officer who was called a racial slur said he found it difficult to overcome being called the comment.
Keith Jones, defending, said that Helliwell has a number of complex neuro disorders including paranoid schizophrenia, traumatic head injury and epilepsy.
Mr Jones said that Helliwell’s “conditions can make him look like he is under the influence of drink and drugs when he’s not”.
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Helliwell agreed that his behaviour was “disgusting” and is now engaging with treatment to help with his mental issues and epilepsy and is able to conduct himself properly in public.
Mr Jones added that Helliwell believes he was being assaulted by the police after he banged his head and acted in this way as a means to “defend himself”.
Recorder Michael Blakey described Helliwell’s behaviour as “disgraceful” and said that in the majority of cases, the police officers were there to just try and help him.
He was sentenced to a total of eight months in custody.
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