Guy Pottle has been sentenced to ten and a half years in prison for violently attacking a police officer who attempted to save his life. Pottle struck PC Alice Beer with a glass bottle, partially blinding her in one eye, and then attempted to throw her from a balcony.
The incident occurred in February when PC Beer responded to a call about Pottle, 39, who was on the wrong side of railings on the first floor of a property in Newton Abbot, Devon, and appeared to be considering jumping.
Bodycam footage showed PC Beer approaching Pottle and securing his arm to prevent him from falling. Unbeknownst to the officer, Pottle was holding a glass bottle, which he then used to smash her in the head. As PC Beer clutched her injured eye, Pottle climbed back over the railing, grabbed her by the legs, and hoisted her over the metal barrier. Fearing for her life, PC Beer fought back, sprayed Pottle with incapacitant spray, and managed to free herself before he eventually fell from the balcony himself and was arrested.
In court, PC Beer stated, "He was trying to kill me or seriously hurt me. I thought I am going to die. I was really scared." She has since suffered from PTSD, flashbacks, and nightmares, and fears she may have to leave her career.
During the sentencing, Judge James Patrick described the bodycam footage as "chilling" and stated Pottle is an "extremely dangerous man and the public needs to be protected from you." He commended PC Beer's bravery, noting she was motivated by a desire to help.
Pottle claimed he had consumed a 1.5-liter bottle of vodka and had no memory of the attack. His defense cited childhood sexual abuse and ADHD as contributing factors. Pottle received ten years and six months for grievous bodily harm with intent, three years for wounding PC Beer, and five years for being a dangerous offender.
This is not Pottle's first offense. In June 2018, he killed Anthony Moore, 40, with a single punch to the head two days after his release from prison. Pottle had been jailed for six years for manslaughter in that case. He also has a prior four-year sentence for a machete attack on a friend in 2014, indicating a history of violence.