26-year-old jailed after stabbing police officer with vegetable peeler and assaulting shop workers in Northampton

Parampreet Singh appeared at Northampton Crown Court on September 25 for sentencing, after he pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent, threatening a person with a blade/sharply pointed article in a public place, assault by beating of an emergency worker, assault by beating, common assault, possession of a Class B drug and criminal damage.

Singh was found in a shop in St James’ Retail Park using a plug socket to charge his phone on March 30 this year. When one staff member asked him to stop, he became verbally abusive and then violent, before assaulting a second staff member.

According to Northamptonshire Police, when officers arrived, Singh spent several minutes calmly trying to avoid answering their questions before launching an attack using a pointed vegetable peeler as a weapon.

One officer suffered a stab wound to the top of his head, and another sustained deep scratch marks to his arm during the attack, which only ended when Singh was tasered.

Singh also spat repeatedly inside a police van on his way to custody, where a packet of amphetamines was found during a search.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Constable Roisin Harrison, of CID West, said: “I’m really pleased that Parampreet Singh has been jailed for his awful behaviour that morning.

“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.

“Singh used a sharp weapon to inflict a stab wound that could easily have been incredibly serious, and the effects on the officer went well beyond the physical injuries he caused.

“He was clearly heavily influenced by drugs that day, and apart from entering guilty pleas he has shown no remorse for his actions."

Singh, of Heath Street, Birmingham, was sentenced to a total of 19 months in prison and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.

The court also recommended the Indian national be deported once he has served his sentence.