Bognor Drink Driver Jailed After Assaulting Police Officers During Arrest

A Bognor man who assaulted police officers after being stopped on suspicion of drink driving has been jailed.

Raimonds Vilde, 40, had been drinking vodka before getting behind the wheel in Bognor, and was later found to have been more than four times over the legal alcohol limit.

The incident happened at around 6pm on March 1 in Lane End Road, Bognor, after members of the public reported a black BMW to police over concerns the driver may have been intoxicated.

Officers stopped the vehicle and approached Vilde, who was identified by witnesses as the driver.

When asked to provide a roadside breath test, he walked away.

During attempts to detain him, Vilde grabbed one officer’s arms and squeezed tightly, causing pain, before removing the officer’s body-worn camera.

He then assaulted a second officer by grabbing their hair before falling backwards, pulling the officer down with him and causing them to hit their head on the pavement.

The officer suffered concussion and was left drifting in and out of consciousness.

When taken into custody, Vilde provided a breath reading of 140 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

At Portsmouth Crown Court on July 13, Vilde, of Sycamore Road, Bognor, admitted drink driving, assault by beating of an emergency worker and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and disqualified from driving for four years.

Detective Chief Inspector Ali Hutchings said the incident showed the dangers officers face while carrying out their duties.

She said:

“Vilde was rightly stopped on suspicion of drink driving, which we know is one of the fatal five behaviours which cause people to be killed or seriously injured on our roads.

“His appalling assault on two officers was completely unacceptable. It left an officer drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Being assaulted should not simply be seen as a ‘part of the job’ for officers who work hard to keep our communities safe.

“It demonstrates the risks of serious harm that officers expose themselves to every day.”

She added that Vilde is now serving a custodial sentence for his offences, alongside his driving ban.