Stabbed, slashed and bludgeoned – drama as Newbury police dog trainer tackles armed burglars at his own home

ARMED burglars who raided a property made a big mistake – for it belonged to a burly police officer and dog handler.

While his wife and children slept inside, the officer burst from his back door in Newbury and confronted the masked trio, giving chase as they fled.

The officer grabbed one of them and – despite being repeatedly stabbed with a long screwdriver, slashed with a knife and bludgeoned with a metal bar by the other two – determinedly clung on to him.

Downplaying his bravery, PC Andrew Kemp casually told jurors at Reading Crown Court: “I’m a police officer; it’s what I do.”

He said he had spent his career protecting the public and added: “This time it was my property being broken into – that’s the only difference.”

In the dock was 22-year-old Jordan Dashwood, of Oak Drive, Poole, in Dorset.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, September 30, PC Kemp said he was woken in the early hours of May 15 last year by a neighbour’s phone call warning him of masked intruders with torches on his property in Priory Road.

PC Kemp, hurriedly dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt, surprised them trying to jemmy open his garage.

Two managed to use a woodpile to help scale an eight foot-high rear garden fence but he grabbed the third on his way up.

However, as they wrestled, one of the accomplices chillingly said: “Stab him,” while the other replied: “I’ll do it,” the court heard.

PC Kemp said he initially kept his grip but then felt what he thought were punches or kicks raining on him.

He momentarily released Dashwood in order to release police dog Astle – a highly-trained Belgian Malinois – from his kennel.

Between them they grabbed the fleeing Dashwood as his accomplices tried to haul him back over the fence.

It was then PC Kemp said he was struck with a metal implement twice on the head, adding: “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been hit with in my life; I assumed it was whatever they were trying to jemmy my door with.

“I was dazed but I was adamant.”

By now, all four of Astle’s paws were off the ground as he clung to Dashwood, who was still trying to scramble over the fence.

Eventually, said PC Kemp, he and Astle managed to wrestle Dashwood down and the accomplices fled.

But the raider continued to struggle and was only subdued when PC Kemp punched him.

He said: “A former colleague, PC Heatley, arrived and together we handcuffed the male.

PC Kemp then realised he was bleeding heavily from wounds to his body and head, which needed stitching at hospital.

Jurors heard he sustained two gashes to his scalp; a knife wound in his right arm, a screwdriver puncture wound to his elbow, a screwdriver wound to his cheek and a defensive cut to his hand.

Cross examining the officer, Dashwood’s defence counsel asked: “You punched him?”

PC Kemp replied: “Yes.

“In the face – as hard as I could.”

Asked whether he had identified himself as a police officer, PC Kemp replied: “No.

“They looked pretty professional; I didn’t identify myself as a police officer because if they got away they’d know a police officer was living at that address.”

Dashwood admitted going equipped for theft but denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and jurors acquitted him of that offence.

He was jailed for 18 months.