Man accused of trying to murder MPS officer remanded in custody
A man accused of attempting to murder a police officer with a machete during a vehicle check has been remanded in custody following an appearance at Thames Magistrates’ Court his morning (August 9).
Muhammad Rodwan, 56, from Luton, was charged with the attempted murder of PC Stuart Outten, 28, and possession of an offensive weapon following the incident in Leyton, east London, just after midnight on Thursday.
He was brought into the dock wearing handcuffs and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, that he has no address, and that his nationality is British.
PC Outten was attacked after he tried to stop a van suspected of having no insurance. He managed to Taser his attacker despite being slashed in the head and hand during the incident.
He was treated by colleagues and paramedics in Leyton High Road before being taken to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition. He was treated for a wound to the side of his head, requiring stitches, and underwent an operation to a hand injury he suffered while trying to fend off the attack.
District Crown Prosecutor Varinder Hayre said Mr Rodwan is accused of carrying out a “completely unprovoked, repeated and brutal attack with a machete on a police officer who was simply conducting his police officer duties on that day”.
There was no application for bail and Deputy District Judge Adrian Turner remanded Rodwan in custody until his next appearance at the Old Bailey on September 6.
Shortly after the hearing the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) issued a statement from PC Outten’s family.
“We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received from the public, Stuart’s colleagues and the wider policing family. We are incredibly proud of the bravery Stuart showed during the incident. His injuries could have been fatal and we are thankful that he is stable and recovering in hospital with his loved ones around him.
“Stuart joined the Met straight from school and loves being a police officer and protecting the public. Although there are risks associated with his job, we would never have expected something like this to happen.”
A number of images of the aftermath of the attack have been circulating on social media and the family asked for these not to be distributed further as seeing them was making an already difficult time even more distressing.
The incident prompted outrage from policing leaders and politicians, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan branding it a “sickening attack”. Home Secretary Priti Patel MP tweeted that she was “absolutely horrified” and added that “his courage in the face of danger shows how police put their lives on the line to protect us every day”.
The most recent police recorded crime figures released by the Office for National Statistics show there were more than 30,000 assaults on officers in England and Wales in 2018/19. Of these 20,578 were crimes of “assault without injury on a constable” – up 13 per cent from the previous year – while 10,399 were crimes of “assault with injury on a constable”, an increase of 27 per cent from the previous year.
