Officers’ bravery praised as man jailed for six years for attempted GBH

Two police officers who protected each other from a knife-wielding man who repeatedly tried to stab them have been praised after the offender was given an extended six-year sentence.

On March 8 this year, Northamptonshire Police took a 999 call from Police Scotland, which had received a third-party report of a Scottish man working in Northampton having his face slashed by an acquaintance.

The two Response officers were dispatched to investigate and as they searched the group’s rental property in Hazelwood Road, Gordon Finnlayson, aged 39, arrived with a Stanley knife in his hand.

Despite the officers telling 6ft 5in Finnlayson to stop and put down the weapon, he ignored their commands and continued to approach them.

As they went to disarm him Finnlayson attacked them, knocking one officer to the floor and laughing as he tried to stab and slash her while her colleague tried to get the knife away from him.

With backup still on the way, the two officers were repeatedly struck and pushed to the ground during the incident, including the second officer being thrown backwards out of the house.

Once other officers arrived, Finnlayson was Tasered and taken to police custody, where he continued to laugh as the circumstances of his arrest were read out.

Both officers required medical attention and although one had initially feared she had been stabbed, both were thankfully found to have escaped serious physical injury.

Finnlayson, of Duncarnock Crescent, Neilston, Glasgow, went on to be charged with two counts of Section 18 attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, entering guilty pleas at Northampton Crown Court on April 24.

Last week (Wednesday, June 25) Finnlayson returned to the same court for sentencing, where he was told he must serve a total of six years, reflecting the judge’s view of his dangerousness to both police officers and the public.

The court heard of Finnlayson’s 35 previous convictions, including seven assaults on police officers, and his remorse at what had happened in Northampton.

Speaking afterwards, Detective Inspector Nick Peters of Northampton CID said: “These two officers showed incredible courage in the face of a violent and sustained attack by a man who was not only armed and much larger than them, but also appeared to be enjoying trying to seriously hurt them.

“During the incident, Finnlayson seemed to be trying to isolate the officers from one another so he could continue his assault without distraction. Without their determination and bravery in sticking together and protecting each other they could have been seriously or even fatally injured by him.

“Police officers come to work not knowing what their shift will bring, and although they are trained and prepared to deal with violent incidents, this is the kind of job no-one ever wants to face.

“With the officers’ agreement we have released their body-worn video from the incident, which shows just how unpredictable, violent and frightening Gordon Finnlayson was that night.

“Tackling serious violence is a matter of priority for our Force and we will always press for the strongest penalties for those who assault our officers, who are dedicated to protecting people and communities from those who would cause them harm.

“I’m really pleased to see such a strong custodial sentence handed down in this case, and want to thank all those involved for their work in ensuring a dangerous man has been brought to justice.”

**Content warning: the video below contains audio and scenes of violence which some viewers may find upsetting.**