Teen head-butted one police officer while hurling ‘abhorrent’ homophobic abuse at another
The teenager was arrested, charged and remanded to Coventry Magistrates’ Court. (Oli Scarff/Getty)
Rugby teenager Idris Juanja will serve three consecutive sentences in a young offenders institution for making homophobic comments at one police officer and head-butting another.
The eighteen-year-old appeared before the Coventry Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (17 March) and pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, committing an offence under Section 4a of the Public Order Act and assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Juanja was sentenced to 18 weeks for assault by beating of an emergency worker, six weeks for breaking the Public Order Act and 23 weeks for possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
The Public Order Act states: “A person is guilty of an offence if, with intent to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress he uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.”
All three sentences will be served consecutively, 47 weeks in total, at a young offenders institution.
Juanja was also made to pay £200 in compensation for the assault by beating of an emergency worker.
According to the Warwickshire Police, police officers were called to his home address on 9 March. When they attempted to arrest him, Idris Juanja head-butted one officer and later, while in custody, made “derogatory and homophobic comments” towards a second officer.
A week after this, police stopped a vehicle in Rugby and found an extendable baton on the teenager.
Chief superintendent Ben Smith commented on the incident: “As police officers, we accept we will be asked to put ourselves in harm’s way to protect others, but this does not mean we expect to be assaulted.
“Like everyone else, emergency service workers have a right to work in a safe environment and to return home safe and uninjured at the end of a shift.
“Assaults of any nature – be they verbal or physical – against emergency service workers are abhorrent, will not be tolerated, and we will look to use the full force of the law to bring those responsible to justice.”
