A man was jailed for more than 14 months on Wednesday after attacking a bystander ‘unprovoked’ on London Bridge and then racially abusing the arresting police officer.
Timothy Sherritt, 38, of Compton Place, Erith, was handed a 58-week prison sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated harassment and actual bodily harm at the Old Bailey.
The court heard how Sherritt approached his victim, who was waiting at a London Bridge bus stop on Sunday September 16 with his partner, before shoving him to the ground, kicking and punching him.
The victim had attempted to make space between him and his partner and Sherritt, who had been threatening and aggressive to them in the moments prior to the attack shortly after 1am, police said.
Sherritt then fled the scene, leaving the man bleeding from the head, nose and mouth. His injuries were not permanent.
Police later arrested Sherritt on Tooley Street, where he ‘racially abused them and spat in their general direction’.
The court heard that he later said he couldn’t remember the two incidents, as he had drank four bottles of wine and a number of beers earlier in the evening.
Detective Inspector Mark Forster, of the City of London Police, said: “Sherritt is a violent and nasty individual who, when fuelled with alcohol, unleashed a vicious physical attack on an innocent member of the public as well as a verbal attack on a police officer.
“The City of London Police does not tolerate violence or racially aggravated offences of any kind.
“I would like to commend the police officer who arrested Sherritt for continuing to do such a professional job in the face of adversity and the detectives in the City of London Police who were able to present an indisputable case against Sherritt to the court which ensured justice was done.”