https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11807425/Judo-instructor-attacked-police-arresting-Covid-lockdown-class-Manchester-avoids-jail.html
Judo instructor who hurled police officer to the ground and attacked
another trying to pepper spray him as they tried to arrest him for
holding free outdoor children's classes during Covid lockdown avoids jail
Daniel Carr, 37, 'took down' two PCs as they tried to stop his lockdown
judo class
He admitted assaulting them and judge handed him 100-day community order
She praised Carr for revealing mental health issues after mum's cancer
diagnosis
By OLIVER PRICE
PUBLISHED: 08:03 EDT, 1 March 2023 | UPDATED: 08:03 EDT, 1 March 2023
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A martial arts instructor who 'took down' two policemen as they tried to
arrest him for holding free outdoor judo classes for children during the
Covid lockdown has avoided prison after a judge praised his 'excellent'
courtroom plea for leniency.
Daniel Carr, 37, used his judo skills to throw one officer to the ground
before striking another on the wrist who was about to pepper spray him
in February 2021.
At the time both constables were trying to detain Carr after he arranged
free classes for youngsters in a public park in Heywood, near Rochdale
Greater Manchester to help with their 'mental health wellbeing' due to
being confined to their homes during Tier 4 restrictions.
The officers were taken to hospital where PC Adnen Mehmood was found to
have suffered a punctured right lung as result of him him hitting the
ground. The other officer PC Mohammed Zeb had a day off sick and was
placed on restricted duties for two weeks after he was left with
'soreness, tenderness and swelling' to his left wrist. Both officers
have made full recoveries.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Carr, from Heywood who spent
ten days in custody following his arrest faced up to five years in
prison after pleading guilty to causing actual bodily harm and
obstructing police.
Martial arts instructor Daniel Carr (pictured), from Greater Manchester,
who 'took down' two policemen as they tried to arrest him for holding
free outdoor judo classes for children during the Covid lockdown has
avoided prison after his 'excellent' courtroom plea for leniency
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Martial arts instructor Daniel Carr (pictured), from Greater Manchester,
who 'took down' two policemen as they tried to arrest him for holding
free outdoor judo classes for children during the Covid lockdown has
avoided prison after his 'excellent' courtroom plea for leniency
Daniel Carr, 37, used his judo skills to throw one officer to the ground
before striking another on the wrist who was about to pepper spray him
in February 2021. Pictured: Judo instructor Daniel Carr (right)
performing a martial arts move during a session
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View gallery
Daniel Carr, 37, used his judo skills to throw one officer to the ground
before striking another on the wrist who was about to pepper spray him
in February 2021. Pictured: Judo instructor Daniel Carr (right)
performing a martial arts move during a session
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But he was given a 12-month community order and was ordered to complete
100 hours of unpaid work after he gave an impassioned speech in which he
apologised for the injuries caused to the officers but said he was
merely 'helping people struggling with the effects of lockdown.'
The court heard all participants in the class were standing two metres
apart.
Carr organised the martial arts at Queens Park in Heywood. But Covid
restrictions in place at the time in February 2021 meant that it was
illegal to organise or attend gatherings and meetings with anyone
outside your household or support bubble.
But prosecutor Craig MacGregor said: 'He [Carr] wanted to be able to
protest about being able to protest about the Covid regulations. Police
became aware on social media about those gatherings and on February 4 he
received a "cease and desist" letter which said he can be fined for
prohibited behavior.
'He was also served with a directive from Rochdale Borough Council under
the health protection regulations, telling him not to have this protest.
'He would say it was to help people's health and wellbeing and they
would have been 2m apart but the participants would still have to give
each other succour.
'He also said was offering kids martial arts lessons from 1pm but in
brackets saying: "If I have not been arrested."
'We say that is teasing and goading of the officers. He had already been
arrested previously and told to go home and there is an element of the
"I won't have anyone tell me what to do" mentality.'
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Representing himself Carr (pictured outside Minshull Street Crown Court)
denied throwing a punch at PC Zeb and said: 'My intention that day was
to help people struggling with the effects of lockdown, myself amongst
them, and to offer free martial arts lessons to kids who may have been
struggling'
Carr organised the martial arts at Queens Park in Heywood (pictured).
But Covid restrictions in place at the time in February 2021 meant that
it was illegal to organise or attend gatherings and meetings with anyone
outside your household or support bubble
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View gallery
Carr organised the martial arts at Queens Park in Heywood (pictured).
But Covid restrictions in place at the time in February 2021 meant that
it was illegal to organise or attend gatherings and meetings with anyone
outside your household or support bubble
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Mr MacGregor said that the event had not taken account of any of the
other people using the park who wanted to follow the Tier 4 restrictions
and added: 'On February 27 at about 12 o'clock people started to gather.
The defendant tried to give help to people. At the bandstand there was
tea and coffee and martial arts lessons.
'At 12.40pm as the gathering got larger police tried to break things up.
PC Zebb and PC Mehmood told the defendant to leave the park, he being
the organiser.
'He started to walk off about 300 yards from the bandstand, but then
changed direction to try and frustrate what the police officers were
trying to do. It got to the stage where PC Mehmood decided he had to
arrest the defendant but he was thrown to the floor twice.
'PC Zebb deployed his Parva spray but during the scuffle that ensued was
punched on his left wrist. He was left with some soreness, tenderness
and swelling. PC Mehmood has slightly more serious injuries and they
both went to Fairfield Hospital.
'PC Mehmood suffered right shoulder pain and reduced mobility and there
was a soft tissue injury with an X-ray showing there was a puncture to
the right lung, an apical pneumothorax, but there were no associated rib
fractures. Perhaps it was the force in which he was taken to the ground
that caused it. Luckily, that punctured lung healed without further
medical intervention in a short period of time.
'PC Zebb had two trips to the hospital and had to take a day off work,
was on restricted office duties for a couple of weeks which had an
effect on the neighbourhood police team. This offence was committed
against an emergency worker acting in the exercise of his functions.'
Carr spent 10 days in custody following his initial arrest and 261 days
on a curfew while on bail and was originally charged with causing
grievous bodily harm.
Representing himself Carr denied throwing a punch at PC Zeb and said:
'My intention that day was to help people struggling with the effects of
lockdown, myself amongst them, and to offer free martial arts lessons to
kids who may have been struggling, something I am trained and qualified
to do, and something I had been doing for some years before lockdown.
'I still believe what I was doing or trying to do was the right thing to
do, however maybe in the wrong way. During a very difficult time due to
isolation and the news a few weeks earlier that my mother had been
diagnosed with cancer and was going through radiotherapy I wasn't
thinking 100% clearly.
'I have always done what I believe is the right thing to do, I have made
mistakes and strayed from the path at times, but I've always stood up
and taken responsibility for my mistakes. Allowing myself to assault a
police officer trying to arrest me however unlawful I perceived that
arrest to be, was wrong, resulting in an officer being hurt, causing
stress and upset to his family.
'It put stress and pressure on my family at a time when they had enough
to deal with. It undermined any good I was trying to do and caused me to
lose the judo club l had set up and my job, not to mention friendships
and the respect many people in the community had for me.'
He added: 'This was all set in motion by how I reacted that day, to
which I feel is in no way representative of who I am or who I want to
be. My reaction that day was completely instinctive with the sole
intention of escaping what I perceived at the time to be a threat,
partly influenced by my emotional mental state, partly by my righteous
indignation and partly by my pride, to which I am ashamed, embarrassed
and deeply sorry for any pain or distress I may have caused.'
At Minshull Street Crown Court (pictured) in Manchester, sentencing
Judge Angela Nield told Carr he had delivered an 'excellent speech in
mitigation' and said he had expressed himself in 'a careful and
impressive manner' as she handed him a 12-month community order and
ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work
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At Minshull Street Crown Court (pictured) in Manchester, sentencing
Judge Angela Nield told Carr he had delivered an 'excellent speech in
mitigation' and said he had expressed himself in 'a careful and
impressive manner' as she handed him a 12-month community order and
ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work
Sentencing Judge Angela Nield told Carr he had delivered an 'excellent
speech in mitigation' and said he had expressed himself in 'a careful
and impressive manner'. She also made no order for compensation for the
two PCs.
She told Carr: 'Your actions were affected by your own mental state at
the time. You were understandably in distress at your mother's recent
diagnosis which compounded your own difficulties and the restrictions
that which you were struggling with significantly.'
At an earlier hearing Carr was fined £2,000 for breaching Covid
restrictions over the judo classes and was also ordered to pay 1,960
court costs and a £200 victim surcharge.
At the time Mark Widdup, director of neighbourhoods for Rochdale
council, said: 'The actions of Mr Carr were not only a breach of the
national regulations that were in place at the time, they were also an
affront to the majority of people who made great personal sacrifices in
order to help protect others from a virus that has claimed the lives of
hundreds of people in our borough.'
'Although the risks of transmission were generally considered to be
lower outdoors compared to indoors, there were still significant risks
of transmission with people congregating in large numbers and being
closer than two metres from each other. Mr Carr's actions demonstrated a
complete disregard for the legislation and his selfish actions put
others at risk.'
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