Man assaulted police officers twelve times in Rushden after taking cocaine

He repeatedly spat at officers and tried to dig his fingernails into their arms
Matthew MorleyMatthew Morley
Matthew Morley

Eleven police officers and three locals were assaulted by a Wellingborough man who repeatedly spat at emergency workers on three separate days.

One of the officers was assaulted on two occasions by Matthew Morley, of Kestrel Lane, Wellingborough and another received a 'mouthful of phlegm' after being spat at.

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He also punched his girlfriend and her dad and charged at her brother with a knife after taking the class-A substance.

Morley appeared before His Honour Judge David Herbert this afternoon (Friday, January 28) to face 12 charges of assaulting emergency workers, three of assaulting members of the public, three of criminal damage and one count of carrying a knife in a public place.

The court was told how he had moved to the UK from South Africa when he was 18 to work as a telecoms contractor but had not been able to see his family for three years because of the pandemic.

The 25-year-old said he had made a 'series of stupid decisions' over ten weeks last autumn and was 'devastated' by his behaviour.

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Judge Herbert was told that on September 6 last year, police were called to a disturbance at Asda in Rushden. Morley was on the floor in handcuffs and they began to put him in their car to take him to hospital as no ambulance was available.

But he started shouting "Why are you injecting me.. please don't kill me."

He began spitting at officers and continued when he was put in a spit hood, which he pulled towards himself as if to strangle himself.

He then managed to bite one of the officers on the wrist and continued to spit after a second spit hood was applied. He hit three more officers in the face.

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Then on September 26 at about 1am, Morley was at his girlfriend's house in Rushden when she saw him take cocaine. He later locked himself in the bathroom with a butter knife, shouting, 'they're coming to get me.'

His girlfriend's father suggested they go out for a walk to leave Morley to calm down and she phoned her bother for help.

But when he arrived, Morley charged at him with the knife, leading him to believe he was going to be stabbed.

The defendant then went outside and damaged a car belonging to a neighbour.

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Morley then caught up with his girlfriend and her dad in an alleyway off Station Road and began punching him to the head and face causing him to fall to the ground. When his girlfriend went to help her dad, he also punched her to the face then turned back to her dad, punching him again.

Police officers arrived to help and pointed a taser at the defendant. He then managed to assault four police officers including one who had been at the first incident. He spat in her face and sunk his nails into the skin of other officers.

Then on November 13, officers were called to Station Road where they found Morley shouting and hitting multiple cars. When he was arrested he spat in the face of two officers. One was hit inside the mouth and had to undergo tests. Morley refused to tell officers whether he had any blood-borne diseases, leaving the officer with an anxious wait after testing.

The court heard that Morley was concerned that if he was given an immediate custodial sentence he would lose his flat, his car and his livelihood. The court was told he had no previous convictions and believed he could have bought a 'bad batch' of cocaine.

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Sentencing Morley, Judge Herbert said: "One of the police constables received a mouthful of phlegm and his victim impact statement says he feels violated and disgusted."

In mitigation, the court heard that Morley had already served five months in prison since his arrest and had no previous convictions.

Morley was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.