A West Mercia Police officer who was viciously attacked and beaten while on duty in Hereford has today (Friday 20 February) spoken about the ordeal that left him with severe physical injuries and long-term mental health issues.
Commenting upon the sentencing of his attackers, PC Ryan Davis, who is a response officer in the city, said the brutal assault on Good Friday (29 March 2024) will ‘forever be the day that his life changed’.
Above: PC Ryan Davis before the attack
PC Davis was working as part of a plain clothes operation to protect women and girls that evening when he and colleagues intervened in a fight on Union Street where a member of the public was being assaulted.
A man was being beaten up by father and son Richard and Alex Quinn – who were found guilty of that offence in September 2024 – when PC Davis and his colleagues stepped in to help him.
But Richard and Alex Quinn then went further with a cowardly and vicious assault on PC Davis which left him with a dislocated and broken ankle, broken lower leg, multiple fractures and face lacerations including damage to an eye.
Above: X-Ray’s of broken bones and PC Davis in hospital after the attack.
Even when PC Davis was outnumbered and physically disabled by his broken bones, the Quinns continued their assault.
They punched, kicked, stamped on and strangled PC Davis as he lay defenceless on the ground while his colleagues were being assaulted by other members of the family.
The attack left him facing months of trauma during his physical and mental rehabilitation which included multiple operations as he rebuilt his body, and his life following the attack.
He is still recovering from the physical and mental health impact of his injuries to this day.
Richard Quinn, 49, of Bridge Street in Hereford, was sentenced at Crown Court today (Friday) to four years and three months for assault causing grievous bodily harm on PC Davis and for the assault by beating on the member of the public.
Alex Quinn, 20, of the same address, was also sentenced today to three years and ten months at a young offenders’ institute for the same offences.
Above: Richard Quinn (left) and Alex Quinn (right).
Speaking on today’s verdict, PC Davis, aged 34, said:
“While I am pleased that justice has been handed out today, I have already been serving my sentence, having spent the past 21 months recovering from this cowardly and brutal attack – and there is still more recovery time for me to get through as I slowly rebuild my life.
“This horrific attack changed who I am. I have struggled with PTSD ever since. Their actions have put me through so much physical and mental pain, and I really don’t recognise the person I was before it happened.
“It left me fearful to go out and I have suffered recurrent flashbacks to the events of that night. I feel I have been left to suffer by perpetrators who have shown no remorse.
“Nobody should go out to work and expect to experience anything like this, but I would like to thank my colleagues and West Mercia Police and the Federation for their help and support along the way.”
Above: PC Davis during recovery (left) and PC Davis before the attack (middle and right).
Chief Constable of West Mercia Police Richard Cooper said:
“An attack on a police officer or indeed, any other emergency service worker, is an attack on society.
“Police officers and staff are ordinary people with parents, children, and partners and when they are attacked, they become victims while trying to protect others and they should be recognised as such.
“Injured colleagues need time away from work, affecting our capacity to serve the public, and placing additional pressure on others.
“West Mercia Police has supported PC Davis throughout his ordeal. I have spoken with him several times since his attack and have been struck by the enormous personal impact it has had on him.
“I hope today’s sentencing of the Quinns serves as a reminder that assaults on our officers will never be tolerated.
“Every attack is an attack on the safety and wellbeing of our communities. We will continue to pursue justice for all victims and ensure offenders are held fully accountable.”
Lesley Williams, West Mercia Police Federation secretary, said:
“West Mercia Police Federation has supported Ryan throughout this horrifying incident, and our thoughts continue to be with him and his family.
“The Quinns carried out a brutal and cowardly attack on Ryan, who suffered severe injuries for doing his job and protecting the public.
“Ryan demonstrated extraordinary courage at the time of the attack and continues to show it through his ongoing recovery.
“This case is a stark reminder of the risks our officers face and the unacceptable violence directed at them.
“We will continue to support Ryan as he continues his recovery.
“However, we don’t feel that the sentence handed down today reflects the brutality of the attack and its long-lasting physical and psychological impact.
“1As a Federation we have long called for judges and magistrates to deliver the toughest possible sentences and continue to do. Attacks such as this on Ryan, can’t be dismissed as being part of the job.
“We will continue to call for the toughest possible sentences for those who attack our members.”