Police Officer will never forget 'cry of anguish' in scissor attack court hears

A police officer has said she will never forget hearing a "cry of anguish" as her colleague was stabbed by a suspected flasher with a pair of scissors, a court has heard.

Robert Jenner, 50, is accused of the attempted murder of Kent Police constable Sean Quinn - who suffered multiple injuries including a "gaping wound" across his forehead which exposed his skull during the attack on June 15 2023 at the defendant's flat in Maidstone.

A trial at Maidstone Crown Court heard that "aggressive" Jenner barricaded his flat with a sofa before officers forced entry to his home to arrest him.

Pc Quinn followed Jenner into his kitchen living room where the door closed behind him and Jenner "launched" himself at the officer, stabbing him 23 times in the head, face and neck, the court heard.

Today, fellow police constable Angela Bates told jurors through tears: "I thought something bad was going on inside that room.

"I heard, I'll never forget it, a cry of anguish.

"I couldn't tell who it was."

Once she and two other officers got into the room, climbing round the furniture blocking the flat entrance, she described seeing the pair on the floor "spooning".

Of her colleague, she said: "His head was covered in blood and there was a pool of blood just spilling out behind his head, it was horrific."

She described how Jenner was on the inside of Pc Quinn while the officer had his hands outstretched over the top of Jenner's hands with a blade poking through the middle of them.

The witness added: "I got down to my knees and I used force and I hit Mr Jenner at the back of his head and I just hit him as hard as I could to make him release that blade."

Pc Bates said she hit Jenner five or six times before he released the scissors and said: "All right, all right."

The court had heard Pc Quinn and Pc Bates had decided to visit Jenner's address after Kent Police received a report of a man running naked in Mote Park, in Maidstone, "nipping in and out of bushes exposing himself to women" at 7.50pm that evening.

The officers suspected it to be Jenner, having dealt with him in the past, and while they were outside his flat they got an updated description of the suspect which matched Jenner's profile and they decided to arrest him, they told jurors.

Defending Jenner, Christopher Jeyes said that it was not necessary for the officers to seek the arrest of Jenner that day and during the visit to his flat officers were all "annoyed and frustrated" at the defendant.

But Pc Bates replied: "I don't believe so, no - I was there to arrest him, protect the people of Kent, particularly women and girls."

The officer added she had known of Jenner for about five years and based on her knowledge of him made the decision to arrest him.

Jenner, of Albion Place, Maidstone, denies charges of attempted murder and wounding with intent.

Jurors heard that Jenner's defence is that he was acting to defend himself from what he believed was an unlawful arrest or unlawful entry to his flat.

The trial continues.