A police officer who was bitten on the arm in the line of duty will receive just £100 compensation after 26-year-old Shannon Butler was sentenced at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court yesterday (Tuesday).
Butler, 26, formerly of Westminster Lane in Newport but now of St David’s Road in East Cowes, pleaded guilty to 1 count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 1 count of assault by beating when she appeared in front of Magistrates.
Ann Smout, prosecuting, told the court that on 27th March 2022 Butler and her boyfriend were out with another couple drinking and having a good time. Tensions rose after Butler was confronted and told she was acting in a flirty manner to her friend’s boyfriend.
Butler and her boyfriend immediately left the premises where they were drinking and headed back home. It was there that Butler proceeded to attack her friend, pulling her hair and pushing her to the ground. Butler then attacked her again before the pair were separated by their respective boyfriends.
Police were notified and arrested the 26-year-old, taking her back to Newport Police Station. It’s at the station that Butler bit an officer on the bicep, ripping her clothes and piercing the skin. The officer was subsequently taken to St Mary’s Hospital.
During the entirety of proceedings yesterday, Butler was visibly distressed, crying throughout her appearance in the dock.
Defending, Jim Osborne said that Butler was an individual who showed previous good character and that her actions that night were out of character.
Magistrates handed Butler a 12-month community order which included 160 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the Police officer and £100 to her friend.
This is a totally inadequate compensation for this officer. Biting and assaulting police officers is not acceptable and is not to be tolerated. £100 is a pathetic sum, If this is a sum is defined in law, then it needs increasing to a realistic amount.
£1000 is barely adequate, people who assault the police need to be sent a message – IT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE ! EXPECT A HEFTY PENALTY>
Totally agree with you,well said
We had our property broken into, luckily we caught the villain. We got no compensation, despite theft and damage to property. The courts are rubbish
What is the victim surcharge for. Is it just another wat of topping up the government’s coffers. It certainly is not for the victims.
Biscuits for the court
Why not name the magistrate who gave this stupidly low compensation order.
Another PATHETIC decision by an island judge. These judges on this island are just not fit for purpose.
This skanky bitch should have been made to pay a lot more compensation and been made to face the WPO and apologize for her actions.
Is biting someone, including a Police Officer not classed as assault?
Bloody IOW judges are useless.
What you lot fail to realise is this is a “blood out of a stone” problem. If the defendant has no money then you can’t set a financial penalty to compensate the injured party. If she couldn’t afford a couple of hundred quid in fines, then to charge £1,000 or even £10,000 is totally unrealistic, all that will happen is she will declare bankruptcy and not pay anything
Disgusting result. What an absolute insult to the officer who was only doing her job! Imagine if we were bitten at our works place, what would we expect from our courts?
Shannon Butler, we’re be reading about her again soon enough. Islandecho a photo of her face please, it’s all to easy for these yobos to slither away when no one knows their faces, let’s change that, photos please.
The offender won’t pay it anyway and it’s not enforced.
If it were a dog it would be put down.