Thimbleby man assaulted police officer after reporting son’s ‘drug debt’ threats

Paul Lee Johnson, 58, of Main Road, admitted assaulting the officer when he appeared before magistrates at Boston on November 2.

The court was told Johnson had telephoned the police because he and his son had been receiving threats from drug dealers over unpaid debts of his son.

Kwok Wan, prosecuting, said a single police officer went to the house at 7.30pm on September 11 last year, and knew that Johnson’s son was, in fact, wanted on an arrest warrant and, when he found that Johnson was ‘very intoxicated’, spoke to his son regarding the warrant.

Mr Wan said that at that stage, Johnson swung a punch at the officer, striking him on the upper arm.

He said the officer pushed Johnson away as he thought he was going to punch him again.

The officer then took Johnson’s son out to the police vehicle and placed him in it before calling for assistance, at which time Johnson came out of the house and threw something at the police car windscreen. It later turned out to be a dog’s toy bone.

Mitigating, Gordon Holt said the offence was more than a year old and that Johnson had been receiving threats against them both personally and his property because of his son’s drug debts.

He said Johnson telephoned the police for help and while waiting for them, began drinking heavily and became ‘quite drunk’.

He said that the son was arrested on an existing warrant because they couldn’t get any sense out of Johnson.

Mr Holt said that Johnson’s house was subsequently attacked and that he had now paid all his son’s drug debts and there had been no further problems.

The magistrates fined Johnson £146 and ordered him to pay £50 compensation to the officer, who was not injured, and £117 in court costs and charges.