William George Sheen, 29, of no fixed address was sentenced to 28 months in prison at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday, March 19, after pleading guilty to offences including business burglary, drug possession, and assaulting two officers in May.
On Saturday, May 3, Sheen escaped from custody on Tremona Road in Southampton, assaulting two officers in the process and leaving one with a leg injury.
Chief Inspector Scott Johnson, New Forest district commander, said: “We will never tolerate our officers being assaulted in the course of their duties.
“Each assault on one of our officers is a deliberate attack on a person performing a public duty.
“Our officers work tirelessly every single day to serve and protect the public, putting themselves in harm’s way in the process.
“They should never have to fear an assault, physical or verbal, in their continued efforts to keep our communities safe.
“The idea that this behaviour is somehow ‘part of the job’ is outdated, dangerous, and completely incompatible with modern policing and public expectation.”
Sheen received 18 months in jail for the incident, which caused the officer an actual bodily harm level injury.
He was handed a further 10 months for two burglaries in Hampshire.
The first took place at Bramshaw Golf Club in Brook on Thursday, October 2, where more than £8,000 worth of golf equipment was stolen.
The second burglary occurred at Sandy Balls Holiday Park in Fordingbridge on Friday, November 28, where Sheen took £800 worth of alcohol and £670 in cash from a restaurant.
Sergeant Nicholas Gardner said: “I’m pleased for all the victims of Sheen that he has now been placed behind bars, where he belongs, unable to commit further crimes.
“I hope this outcome offers all the victims concerned some comfort and reassurance, safe in the knowledge that this prolific offender is no longer roaming our streets and able to steal from anyone else.
“Sheen is now facing up to the consequences of his actions and will have plenty of time to think about his crimes and the impact of these.”