Off-duty police officer who attacked a woman walking home spared jail

The off-duty police officer tried to tackle the woman and put her in a headlock

A West Midland Police officer who attacked a woman while off-duty has been spared jail. PC Oliver Banfield of the West Midland Police, has avoided time in prison and kept his job. He has been sentenced to a 14-week curfew, during which he is not allowed to leave the house between 7pm and 7am. Emma Homer was walking home in July 2020 when PC Banfield tried to tackle her to the ground and put her in a headlock. Visibly intoxicated, he was reported to have called her a “f ****** slag” and continued to try and pull her to the ground as she screamed. The probation officer managed to avoid community service, as his lawyer argued it would be “difficult” for him to work with criminals. Instead, the 25-year-old was ordered to pay £500 compensation to the victim, Homer, as well as court costs of £180. The judge ruled that the officer had “abused his power” and described his misogynistic abuse as “an aggravating factor”. Miss Homer has revealed that she has been rocked by the attack ever since and has had her beliefs shaken “to the core” after suffering through the ordeal. "To be verbally abused with misogynistic slang, grabbed by the neck and forced to the floor on a dark road by a drunk man, a foot taller than me, is terrifying", she said. “The effect on [my kids] when they found out my assailant was a police officer was incredibly sad. It’s unfathomable to them that a person whose job is to serve and protect would attack and hurt their family." She went on to say that “both are wary and unnecessarily anxious when they see a police car or an officer in uniform" and that her trauma “was compounded by the slow response from the police to the assault".