Burglar jailed after officers attacked

A burglar who attacked a number of officers and made racist comments to hospital staff has been jailed.

Chief Constable Rob Nixon today described the actions of 20-year-old Luke Graham as “despicable” as he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for offences including burglary, indecent exposure, public order and seven counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

Graham (pictured) had previously pleaded guilty to the offences.

CC Nixon said: “Graham had absolutely no regard for those he targeted during his crime spree. 

“Officers responded immediately to identify and arrest Graham and were simply carrying out their duty in order to protect the public.  To then be faced with such horrific abuse is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

“I am pleased Graham pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and hopefully his time in prison will give him an opportunity to reflect on his behaviour and mend his ways.”

A report had been received during the evening of Tuesday 19 July last year of a man acting suspiciously in the Leicester Forest East area.  The man was captured on a doorbell security camera entering the porchway of a house before stealing a key fob from a car parked on the driveway.

Observations were put out in the area after further reports of suspicious activity.  A man matching the description of the suspect was subsequently located and identified as Luke Graham. 

When he was searched, officers found the stolen key fob on him.

Graham was arrested and while he was in the custody he attacked a number of officers by spitting at them and being verbally abusive towards them. One officer was headbutted and she sustained a cut lip and bruising.

While Graham was being treated in hospital he made racist comments towards staff members on the Accident and Emergency ward.

Graham was subsequently charged with racially aggravated public order, burglary dwelling with intent to steal, theft from a motor vehicle, exposure, Section 4a public order and seven counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

He was further charged with burglary (dwelling) with intent to steal and theft of a motor vehicle, which both occurred on the same evening (19 July).

Graham of Lipscombe Rise, Alton, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to all the offences at his first appearance at Leicester Magistrates’ Court in July last year.

He was sentenced on Monday 3 July at Leicester Crown Court.  He was sentenced to two years in prison for one of the burglary offences, four months for assault on an emergency worker and four months for common assault on an emergency worker.

He was also sentenced for theft of motor vehicle to three months in prison, for taking without consent he received three months, for exposure he received three months, for five counts of common assault on an emergency worker he was sentenced to four months for each count, for racially aggravated harassment he was sentenced to three months and for burglary he received two years.  All of these sentences are to run concurrently.

Graham also admitted his involvement in five other offences, which he committed during the same month. At sentencing those offences were taken into consideration.

Detective Constable Stacey Jones said: “During our investigation it became clear that Graham had been on a spree in the area and had tried to gain entry to a number of addresses and vehicles before being stopped by officers.

“Graham continued to commit offences after arrest - he became abusive, violent and he also spat at a number of officers while he was in custody and at the hospital.

“He was racially abusive towards hospital staff members who were trying to treat him for an injury he claimed to have sustained a few days before.”