Man jailed for stabbing Northampton officer with vegetable peeler

A man who stabbed a police officer with a pointed vegetable peeler after assaulting two shop workers has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.

At an earlier hearing at Northampton Crown Court, Parampreet Singh, 26, had pleaded guilty to offences including grievous bodily harm, assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.

Det Con Roisin Harrison said: "His actions in assaulting store staff and then police officers were entirely unprovoked and the violence he used was shocking, going from a calm situation to a ferocious attack in a split second."

The court also recommended that Singh - an Indian national from Heath Street, Birmingham - be deported after his sentence.

The incident happened on 30 March at a store in St James Retail Park, Northampton, when staff found Singh using a plug socket to charge his phone.

After being asked to stop, he became verbally abusive and assaulted two employees, which led to the police being called.

When officers arrived, Singh launched an attack, the court heard.

He used a vegetable peeler to stab one officer in the head, causing a "significant" wound, while a second officer sustained deep scratch marks on his arm. Singh was subdued with a taser.

After being arrested, Singh spat repeatedly inside the police van. Police found amphetamines in his possession.

Det Con Harrison, the investigating officer, added: "I'm really pleased that Parampreet Singh has been jailed for his awful behaviour that morning."