PC Alison Laughlan, 28, put one handcuff around 26-year-old Adam McManus’ (pictured) wrist when he stepped forward and began a brutal onslaught in Scotland
A policewoman who was hit 30 times by a ‘wild’ thug had to push her eight-month-old daughter away rather than face the pain of a cuddle after the assault.
PC Alison Laughlan, 28, put one handcuff around 26-year-old Adam McManus’ wrist when he stepped forward and began a brutal onslaught in Johnstone, Scotland.
McManus, a construction worker, had already assaulted two of his neighbours before punching PC Laughlan ‘between 20 and 30 times’.
Even as he was brought under control he spat at her and said: ‘I’m going to f***ing kill you,’ the Daily Record reported.
PC Laughlan was hit around the side of the head with the handcuffs before her head ‘was bashed from side to side’ as McManus delivered punch after punch.
She was then winded when he hit her just under her ribcage.
It was only when he charged at another officer with his arms in the air ‘like a wild man’ she was able to grab her baton.
Constable Laughlan (pictured) said she was ‘really dazed’ after the onslaught and remembers tasting the Pava spray one of her colleagues had used
But the worst moment for PC Laughlan was after she was discharged from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and couldn’t hold her eight-month-old daughter.
She said: ‘I sat on the couch and my husband brought her over and put her next to me.
‘She pulled onto my knee and when she turned to try and climb onto me to cuddle in, I just winced and almost pushed her away. She started to cry and then I got really upset.
‘She was trying to grab onto me and touch my face but I just burst into tears because the side of my jaw and my nose was really sensitive from being hit.
‘I tried to pick her up a little later and the weight of her just crippled my ribs completely.
‘I had to ask my mother-in-law to look after her for the next three nights until my husband was off work again because I just couldn’t look after her.’
During sentencing Sheriff Colin Pettigrew said: ‘Blows to the head, whether by punch or kick, can unfortunately be fatal.
PC Laughlan was hit around the side of the head with the handcuffs before her head ‘was bashed from side to side’ as McManus delivered punch after punch. Pictured, the police officer’s face and neck was left badly bruised after the onslaught
‘That they were not in this case was fortunate but you gave no thought to that.
‘When the police arrived, your behaviour did not stop. If anything, it escalated.’
Constable Laughlan said she was ‘really dazed’ after the onslaught and remembers tasting the Pava spray one of her colleagues had used.
Even as McManus (pictured) was brought under control he spat at her and said: ‘I’m going to f***ing kill you,’ the Daily Record reported
‘I remember screaming and kind of stumbling. I tried to put my hands up towards my face and I was shouting at him to get back, anything to get him away from me.
‘All I could hear was screaming and shouting. He just wouldn’t stop.
‘He kept hitting around my head and I was really dazed. Then I remember getting the taste of Pava spray which one of my colleagues had used while trying to get him off of me.
‘I just thought that I wasn’t getting out of this, not conscious anyway. He must have hit me between 20 and 30 times.
‘I was also winded when his hand hit me just under my right rib cage.’
‘I grabbed my baton and hit twice on his back but nothing happened.
‘I then hit him twice in the head but it still didn’t work. I’ve only ever used my baton as a deterrent or for smashing windows before. He just kept going, kept fighting.
‘At that point, there were five officers trying to bring him under control. It took seven in total to get him on the ground.
‘He then threw his head round and spat all over one of the officers and was trying to grab his face.
Constable Laughlan’s ribcage was badly bruised by McManus as he punched her in the head, neck and chest
As well as severe bruising to her ribs (pictured) constable Laughlan had concussion and had to be treated at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley
‘He then turned towards me and spat, hitting me all down my face and chest.’
Even when McManus was in the back of a police van he said: ‘I’m going to choke your last breath out of you.’
The thug has now been jailed for three years after admitting four charges against him – including assault to severely injure.
He has also been given a 12-month supervision order for after he is released from prison due to the risk of harm he poses to the public.
Constable Laughlan was left with concussion and severe bruising to her face, neck and ribs after the assault.
Pictures taken after the assault show the extent of the bruising caused by McManus’ heavy blows. She said: ‘When you go to similar calls, you start to worry whether it’s going to boil over and if the same thing is going to happen again’
Even when McManus was in the back of a police van he said: ‘I’m going to choke your last breath out of you.’ Pictured, bruising over PC Laughlan’s ribs
It was only when he charged at another officer with his arms in the air ‘like a wild man’ she was able to grab her baton. Pictured, bruising on both sides of constable Laughlan’s face
When asked how it had affected her constable Laughlan said: ‘It started off as a normal day, if not a bit boring because I was working by myself until my partner was due to come in at 5pm. It then turned into a disaster.
‘It didn’t affect me straight away because I was focused on other things at the time. It was maybe two months ago that I realised I needed to try and speak to someone about it.
‘When you go to similar calls, you start to worry whether it’s going to boil over and if the same thing was going to happen again.
‘I’ve never been the kind of person that gets panicked in situations and I hate having that feeling that before anything has even started, you start doubting yourself and whether you can deal with it.
‘It’s amazing how one person can totally change you.’
She has now been nominated for a Scottish Police Federation bravery award.