Officer left with bleed on brain speaks out in new podcast

A police officer who was left with a bleed on the brain after being attacked on duty has spoken out for the first time 18 months on from the violent assault.

PC Leo Clarke needed surgery and spent almost a week in hospital after he was punched in the head last February – only returning to work on restricted duties 10 months later in December.

In the force’s second podcast series, Leo, 25, speaks honestly and openly about the severity of his injuries and his road to recovery.

In the episode ‘Not part of the job’ released today (9 August) in the first episode of the new series, he tells of the moment he realised things were not as OK first thought. He said: “Afterwards I got back to the station and went to get up out the car, but then thought something really isn’t right.

“I walked up the stairs to the response office in Thorpe Wood and remember having to hold on to the handrail thinking: ‘This isn’t good, it wasn’t just a punch’.

“I went into the office and my skipper’s look alone worried me. I spoke in gibberish apparently, and it was at that point they realised I needed to go to hospital.”

The attack unfolded after Leo was called out to a house in Ledbury Road, Peterborough just before 5pm on 8 February last year.

He was sent to the city after a man became violent towards members of his own family.

The man, in his 20s, had missed a psychiatric appointment at Peterborough City Hospital that morning and walked to the address prior to speaking with a doctor.

He reacted angrily when PC Clarke activated his body worn video camera – and soon after grabbed and punched the officer to the head.

He was arrested and later handed one year and eight months in jail in April last year after admitting causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent.

In the podcast, Leo added: “When I was released from hospital, they took the bandaging off my head and this was the first time I saw the extent of the surgery. The photos still hit home when I see them.

“My dad and girlfriend picked me up, I think he was crying more than she was! It was a long process of getting back to normal, but I got lucky and recovered in quite a short period of time.

“The doctors told me it was a bleed on the brain and left unchecked, it could cause a lot of damage. Luckily my skipper and colleagues saw something was wrong and got me to hospital early, that has helped me get back to how I am now.”

Leo, a police officer for nearly three years based in Peterborough on response, said he was first attracted to the job because of the blue lights, being pro-active and helping others to feel safer.

More than a year on from the attack, he has now returned to response shifts on the front line.

He said: “As the police we do a lot of jobs now, including mental health related ones. We’ve had to adapt as every service is stretched; for us it’s not just locking up bad guys anymore.

“One of the main things for police is life and limb – making sure everyone is OK. If we turn up, it doesn’t always mean you’re in trouble so don’t instantly worry and don’t take your anger out on us.

“We’ve got families as well we want to go home to, so it’s not fair. It might not be an ambulance turning up like you want, but we will get to where you need to and do our best to help you.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court when his attacker was sentenced, Leo explained how he was left feeling like a burden on everyone.

He told how he was left unable to do the things he had always enjoyed and said he felt like a prisoner in his own home.

Chief Constable Nick Dean said assaults upon police officers and staff would never be tolerated and were not simply ‘part of the job’.

He added: “I am pleased to see Leo is well on the road to recovery, is back at work helping to keep Cambridgeshire safe and has returned to the front line and again doing the work he loves.

“I’m glad he has felt able to share what happened to him in our new podcast series, and I hope his story brings home the reality of the work police officers do on a daily basis to protect others.

“It should be remembered that police officers and staff are people, they are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. When they are attacked they become victims just like any other, but victims who have been attacked while trying to protect others.”

To listen to the podcast episode, or for more information about the new series, visit the force’s dedicated podcast web page.