A police union leader has decried a judge's decision to suspend the jail sentence of a diversity representative who critically injured a police officer while driving drunk and dragging him alongside her vehicle. Chris McGlade, chair of the Merseyside Police Federation, called the sentence "disgusting" and stated that the justice system needs to re-evaluate its support for officers.
Candace Desilva, 37, of Anfield, Liverpool, was stopped by Police Constable Simon Ward for traffic offenses including using her phone while driving and making an illegal U-turn. PC Ward, a former RAF medic who served in Afghanistan, noticed Desilva had "glazed eyes and slurred speech." Roadside tests revealed an alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
When PC Ward attempted to prevent Desilva from driving off, she accelerated with the officer clinging to the side of her Range Rover. The court heard that she repeatedly struck out at him in an attempt to dislodge him, causing lacerations to his fingers and hand. Fearing for the safety of bystanders, PC Ward deployed pepper spray, which Desilva's passenger then sprayed onto the officer and a female passenger.
Desilva eventually stopped the vehicle a short distance away. Upon being informed she was being arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, she stated, "I just wanna go home to my children." She resisted arrest, leading to a second officer sustaining a scraped forearm.
PC Ward suffered severe and potentially permanent leg injuries, requiring him to use a crutch and wear a knee brace. He also experiences symptoms of PTSD. The officer stated in a victim impact statement that the incident has left him a "vulnerable shell of a man" and that the injury feels like a "death sentence."
Desilva pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assaulting an emergency worker. She received a 28-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with 140 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation requirement. The judge cited Desilva's four children, two of whom have special needs, as the sole reason for suspending the sentence.
McGlade highlighted that an officer is assaulted every 10 minutes in the UK and emphasized the need to "better protect our protectors." The maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker was doubled in 2021 to two years imprisonment in an effort to deter such attacks.
Desilva is employed as an accounts officer and serves as a "lead diversity inclusion and belonging rep" at the Royal College of Physicians. Her defense counsel noted her voluntary participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and therapy, and stated she had not consumed alcohol since the incident. Desilva was also previously fined for drink-driving and using a mobile phone while driving. She was banned from driving for three years and must pass a retest before regaining her license.