A drunken lout facing jail after a 34 year career of drink-related thuggery in his hometown has been allowed back onto the streets.
As Andrew Cotterill, 55 walked free for assaulting two policemen and subjected them to vile abuse during an alcohol-fuelled tirade, a JP told him: ''Your pain is clear, you don’t want to be here.''
Cotterill has 25 offences on his record dating back to 1989 and in 2021 was issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order for bombarding police with hoax 999 calls in his hometown in Cheshire. He had a further conviction for battery in 2022.
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The factory worker was arrested again last March after he kicked one policeman in the testicles and crushed a second officer with his bodyweight as they arrested him outside his local Wetherspoons pub in nearby Sandbach, for being drunk and abusive to staff and regulars.
Later when he learnt he was facing up to 12 months imprisonment Cotterill insisted he had mental health issues and said the latest incident had caused him to 'seek help'. He said he was now giving up alcohol and wanted to change.
At Crewe magistrates court, Cotterill, of Platt Avenue in Sandbach, was sentenced to a 12-month community order after he admitted two charges of assault by beating of an emergency worker and one of using threatening language, abusive words or behaviour likely to cause alarm or distress.
He must complete 20 rehabilitation activity hours and 150 hours of unpaid work and will also be subject to a nine-month alcohol abstinence order, which will measure his sobriety by way of an electronic tag. He was also ordered to pay £150 in compensation to one officer known only as PC Lyons, £250 damages to PC Hails and a £114 statutory surcharge.
In sentencing, Chair of the bench Jeffrey Dodd told Cotterill: “These officers were just trying to do their jobs and were not there to be assaulted.
''But I think you know how serious this was at the time. Your pain is clear, you don’t want to be here, you want a different life but there is more you need to do. You will think more clearly when you are not dependant on alcohol.”
Earlier Clare Oliver, prosecuting, said: “On the evening of the 26th of March this year, three police officers were called out to a public order disturbance outside the George Inn Wetherspoons on Sandbach high street.
''The defendant was heavily intoxicated and had been loud and aggressive towards staff and customers nearby. Two of the officers, PCs Lyons and Hails approached the defendant to reason with him when he started shouting at them.
"He shouted: 'get off me you little p***ks, you dirty tarts, you slags, slags, slags. When the officers tried to arrest him, he shouted 'touch my pocket again and I’ll chew you up you c**t'.
"PC Lyons attempted to restrain the defendant, who had his back against the police van door. As he tried to do so the defendant kicked out violently at his testicles. In his statement, Lyons later described the pain as having a dull ache in his genital area for a while after.
"At the same time, PC Hails opened the rear door of the van and tried to get the defendant inside. At this point the defendant threw his entire bodyweight against him, crushing him up against the van.
''When he did so, PC Hails heard a loud pop and crunch in his left shoulder. Hails then managed to release himself and put his hand on the defendant's head and tried to handcuff him with his other arm.
"At this point, Hails described reaching his arm out but realising he had no power in it. Soon after he began to feel pain throughout the arm.
"After the defendant was restrained and arrested, Hails went to A&E where he found out he had sustained soft tissue damage. As a result, he had to take weeks off of work and conduct extensive physiotherapy sessions on his left arm."
Cheshire Police said he had previously put 'lives at risk' by making a series of hoax 999 calls in which was verbally abusive to staff in the control room.
In one three day period he made over two hours’ worth of telephone calls falsely claiming he had been verbally and physically threatened by a known individual on a number of occasions. During some of the calls he also threatened to attack the alleged suspect.
He was handed a two year Criminal Behaviour Order in June 2021 barring him from contacting Cheshire Constabulary by any means unless it is a genuine emergency after he admitted persistently making hoax calls to police for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another.
Cotterill's most recent conviction was for battery in 2022, which led to a six-week prison sentence.
In mitigation, his lawyer Ruth Oakes said: “As soon as he spoke to me today, he was clear that he accepts his wrongdoing. Since the incident, he has shocked himself with his behaviour.
''His behaviour and some related medical conditions have really made him think about his life. He also realised he had been struggling with his mental health as a result of this.
“The offence of that night has caused him to seek help. He has since done a voluntary detox with his local hospital and has started to address his mental health issues.
“He has also recently found stable employment as a factory worker in Congleton and takes home approximately £1400 per month.”
She added: “Alcohol is the thread that runs throughout his criminal history. He is trying to address the difficulties he has had.''
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