Man convicted of repeatedly stabbing police officer

A man who stabbed an on-duty plain clothes police officer in east London has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent. Andrew Beadie, 20, from Basildon in east London, was convicted at the Old Bailey on Friday (May 26), and will be sentenced at the same court on June 16. The court heard that on November 22 last year, Beadie was with his partner – a 34-year-old woman – and her two 16-year-old twin sons. Shortly before 9pm, he approached a man in Bow Road, east London, and punched him to the ground. The victim of the assault has not been identified. Just twenty minutes later, after entering an alleyway next to the Bow Bells Pub, he approached a man – a plain clothes police officer – and accused him of looking at his girlfriend. Beadie then pulled out a large blade and repeatedly stabbed the man in the abdomen before running away. The officer suffered three stab wounds and he was taken to hospital. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said the attack was cowardly, unprovoked and sickening. “We will never know quite what motivated Beadie to embark upon a series of violent assaults that night, but throughout his interview with police and his evidence to the jury he has shown not a shred of genuine remorse,” he added. “He would not have known that the victim of his final act of violence that night was a police officer and it is just sheer luck that the injuries he sustained were not life threatening. “The knife had a 10-inch blade and was a terrifying weapon. There can be no doubt Beadie intended to cause abject fear that night and serious harm. He can expect a significant custodial sentence, and this should act as a timely reminder of the consequences of carrying a knife on the streets of London. “Those who continue to cause harm to our communities through these actions will be targeted by the Metropolitan Police Service and be put before the courts.” The case against Beadie’s partner, Janine Morris, 34, who was also charged with attempted murder, two counts of affray and assisting an offender, was later discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service. No further action was taken against a 17-year-old male and two 16-year-old boys who were also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.