Two men sentenced after officers assaulted in Lozells, Birmingham

Two men have received jail terms after four police officers were assaulted during an incident in Lozells last year.

Hamad Gernas, aged 23 and Adam Issa aged 33 were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Monday 29 January).

Gernas, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated bodily harm and Issa of two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis at an earlier hearing.

“On Tuesday 24 October, officers were patrolling Villa Road and were authorised to use dispersal order powers in response to recent concerns over suspicious activity in the area,” a police statement read.

“Acting on intelligence, one of our officers asked Gernas to provide his details but he became aggressive.

“A further three officers attempted to calm Gernas down but he remained argumentative.

“Issa then appeared at the scene and threw a bicycle at one of our officers which has hit the back of his head as well as hitting a second officer on the back.

“A brave member of the public then intervened and prevented Issa from grabbing a piece of fruit to throw at the officer and with his help we were able to detain him.”

During the arrest of Gernas, an officer was punched, another was bitten and a third received a sprained arm.

Three of the four officers that were assaulted required hospital for non-serious injuries .

Gernas of Hamilton Road, Birmingham was sentenced to seven months and Issa of no fixed abode was sentenced to six months.

Chief Inspector Sara Beech from Birmingham Police said: “Four of our officers were assaulted while just trying to their job, which will not be tolerated.

“Nobody should face violence and abuse whilst trying to protect the public.

“Assaulting emergency workers is not just about physical visible injuries but also the mental harm the experience causes.

“I also want to say a huge thank you to the courageous member of the public who stepped in and intervened during the incident.

“We will bring those to justice who think violence against our officers is acceptable.”