Domestic abuser who attacked police officers is jailed

A domestic abuser who bit police officers has been jailed.

Police were called at 5.11am on Thursday 12 May to reports of a disturbance at an address on Queens Road in Shanklin.

Officers attended and were confronted by 35-year-old Bruno Borges who was aggressive towards police.

Before police arrival, Borges had been arguing with a woman known to him and assaulted her multiple times.

Borges became progressively more agitated towards police, and during his arrest he scratched an officer on her arm and hand, before digging his nails into another officer’s hand.

He then assaulted two more officers as he was taken out of the property, including biting one of them on the leg.

As he was being carried to the van, he then bit another police officer on the leg.

In a separate incident, on 10 June this year, police received reports of Borges assaulting the same woman again near Cockrams Yard in Newport, knocking her to the floor and chipping her tooth. A witness intervened and knocked Borges to the ground to protect the victim.

As a result of these incidents, Borges was charged with 4 counts of assaulting an emergency worker, assault by beating, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, all of which he pleaded guilty to at previous court hearings.

Appearing at Isle of Wight Crown Court on Thursday 22 December, he was jailed for 27 months and ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge.

PC Dave Hughes said: “Borges is a seriously violent man who shows clear intention to cause harm to everyone around him, including those close to him.

“He continually assaulted a woman, and displayed vile aggressive behaviour towards our officers. Police should not expect to come to work each day to be treated in this disgusting manner, and neither should anyone be subjected to any form of domestic abuse.

“Tackling perpetrators of domestic abuse is an absolute priority for us, and we will do everything in our power to bring abusers to justice and protect vulnerable people. We really want more people to have the confidence to come forward and report this type offending, as we know it can often go unreported.”

To report abuse, you can contact police on 101 and speak to an officer in confidence.

The Isle of Wight also has a dedicated Domestic Abuse Support Team (DAST), which is made up of specially trained officers who provide additional support to victims and officers investigating domestic abuse.

We know that not everyone who has been abused always has the confidence to speak to police. The Paragon team – part of the charity The YOU Trust – provide specialist support to domestic abuse victims on the Isle of Wight. You can visit their website here: https://paragonteam.org.uk/