Knifeman Jailed for Racist Attack on Police Officer

A man who kicked a police officer in the chest and launched into a racist tirade expressing support for the Ku Klux Klan has been sentenced to eight months in prison. 🚔⚖️

Daniel Barnham, 31, was spotted by CCTV operators on Penydarren Road, Merthyr Tydfil, carrying a steak knife and a sock filled with rocks and a lock knife at 11pm on March 30.

When officers arrived and asked if he was carrying a blade, Barnham threw the steak knife aside. However, as he was being handcuffed and placed in the police van, he began resisting arrest.

The court heard Barnham called PC Tatlah the n-word whilst expressing support for the white supremacist group. He then kicked out several times, with one blow making contact with the officer’s chest.

Prosecutor Elin Morgan told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court that Barnham also reached for the discarded knife before officers intervened, and PC Tatlah’s hand was painfully trapped in the cage door during the struggle.

In interview, Barnham claimed he had forgotten the steak knife was in his pocket after using it at his girlfriend’s home, and said the lock knife was for food preparation as he was homeless. He apologised for the abuse, claiming he wasn’t really racist but had just been angry.

Barnham, of Arbutus Close, Gurnos, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a blade in public, assaulting an emergency worker, and racially aggravated harassment.

The defendant has 26 previous offences, including a 36-hour crime spree in 2018 when he robbed four Merthyr shops whilst armed with a knife, earning him a six-year jail term.

Defence barrister Hywel Davies said his client had walked out of a pre-sentence interview because he was “upset and sensitive” about being classed as high risk for reoffending. Barnham had been caring for his mother and was anxious about how his return to prison would affect her.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins described Barnham’s behaviour as “disgraceful”, adding: “It is intolerable that police officers cannot go about their duty without being assaulted by people like you.”