'Gobby' man, 33, assaulted officer after being thrown out of Newbury bar

Stall trader also fined for possessing cocaine

A MAN assaulted a police officer after he was thrown out of a Newbury bar following an altercation, a court heard.

Paul Hakewill admitted assaulting Pc Colings after he was arrested outside the Canal Bar in the early hours of Sunday, April 23.

The 33-year-old was also found to be in possession of a small quantity of cocaine which he told officers he had found on the floor of the bar and had only pocketed to “stop kids getting hold of it”.

Mr Hakewill, of Swan Drive, Aldermaston, admitted one charge of assaulting a police officer and one charge of possession of a class A drug when he appeared at Reading Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 25.

The court heard how the stall trader had been ejected from the Market Place bar by doorstaff following the altercation and was subsequently arrested and handcuffed by Pc Colings at around 1am.

The prosecution told magistrates: “As he was being escorted by the officer, Mr Hakewill put a leg across Pc Colings, causing him to lose his balance and fall over, with Mr Hakewill falling on top of him. Pc Colings felt a brief, fleeting pain.”

Mr Hakewill continued to struggle as he was put in a police van and taken to custody, where the drugs were found, magistrates heard.

In a police interview, Mr Hakewill said he had been at the bar when an altercation broke out and he was thrown out.

He accepted he was being, in his own words, ‘gobby’ but told officers the tangle of legs was not intentional.

The court heard Mr Hakewill had no previous convictions and was a man of good character.

Defending, Simon Grant told magistrates his client was in the process of starting his own business and had suffered sleepless nights, stress and anxiety as a result of the incident.

“He regrets the incident very much,” Mr Grant told the court.

“He’s lost his previous impeccable character because of this.”

Speaking about the drug charge, Mr Grant said: “He simply picked up the substance in the Canal Bar.

“He says he knew it was probably an illegal substance but it wasn’t for his own use.

“As you heard he didn’t want some children picking it up.”

Mr Grant added: “He finds this process somewhat embarrassing.”

Magistrates fined Mr Hakewill £200 for the assault and £300 for possessing a class A drug.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30.