A man who attacked his girlfriend and three emergency workers has been arrested by police.
Footage caught on a body-worn police camera shows the moment Peter McLeod, 43, from Hendon, Sunderland, lashes out with kicks when officers try to restrain him before he is eventually subdued by CS Gas.
McLeod later confessed during questioning he could not remember anything about the day, as he had ’24 cans and taken some crack cocaine’.
Peter McLeod, 43, from Hendon, Sunderland, is caught on a body-worn police camera kicking officers as they tired to restrain and arrest him
McLeod, who has a history of violence and attacks on police, lashes out at the officers as they try to restrain him
During the clip, McLeod exchanges words with the officers before he lashes out and is held down by officers.
McLeod, who has a history of violence and attacks on police, had formed a romance with a pen-pal who wrote to him while he was serving an 11 year sentence imposed in 2009.
Within months of being released back onto the streets, he launched a brutal attack on her at her home last October, where he repeatedly punched, headbutted and kicked her until she feared she would die.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim had been on the phone to her daughter, who contacted the police when she heard that the violence started.
After being arrested by police, McLeod spat at a detention officer who tried to help him.
McLeod admitted assault, and assaults on three emergency workers.
He was on a suspended sentence for assault on an emergency worker at the time, imposed just a month before.
Prosecutor Alec Burns told the court McLeod had turned up at the woman’s house and was ‘behaving very oddly’, accusing her of cheating, and made her ‘terrified’.
McLeod was sentenced to 20 months behind bars during a trial at Newcastle Crown Court
The 43-year-old is held down on the floor by police officers after becoming aggressive
Mr Burns said the attack happened in the victim’s bedroom and added: ‘He began= shouting at her, saying she had been cheating.
‘He punched her in the face three times. She pleaded with him to stop.’
Mr Burns said McLeod left the bedroom and punched a door on the way out but added: ‘On return he headbutted her in the face, he was shouting at her. He hit her just above her right eye with his forehead.
‘She curled up in on the bed to protect herself. He got on top of her, grabbing her by the throat. She thought for a while she might die.’
The court heard the attack continued with more hits, headbutts and kicks until McLeod calmed down.
When the police arrived McLeod was ‘aggressive and threatening’ and lashed out when the officers tried to handcuff him, saying he had a broken wrist.
Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced McLeod to 20 months behind bars.
The judge told him: ‘Your relationship was a long association you had with her but your romantic relationship seems to have began while you were serving a long prison sentence. It began by correspondence, initially.’
Judge Clemitson said the victim was left ‘bruised and battered’, with bruising and swelling to her face and torso and added: ‘She was in her own home and with a man she should have been entitled to trust would treat her properly and not cause injury to her.’
The court heard McLeod had a traumatic childhood and has received no real intervention from the authorities to deal with his deep seated problems.
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said the victim wants McLeod to have a chance to ‘get help’ which she says he is ‘crying out for’.
Miss Hedworth said: ‘He is extremely sorry, he is ashamed.’
At the end of the hearing, McLeod told the court: ‘I just want to apologise to the emergency workers involved and everyone else in the case, they shouldn’t have to put up with that.’
McLeod said his partner ‘shouldn’t have to put up with that’ and added: ‘I should have done more to deal with my past, I have just got to keep on trying and that’s what I am going to get on doing.’