A SENTENCING date has been set for a man who was found guilty of punching a police officer upon arrest and trying to ‘gouge’ his eyes.

Thomas Jackson, 28, of Balfour Road, Oxford, was arrested from his home on September 2 last year by two officers, Police Sergeant (PS) Hatfield and PC West.

Upon arrest, Jackson ‘jumped across’ the room and assaulted PS Hatfield after becoming ‘unhappy’ with the revelation he would be arrested.

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He denied the offence of assaulting an emergency worker and claimed he was acting in self-defence.

However, a jury at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (February 27) found him guilty.

He will now be sentenced at the same court on April 5.

Summarising the facts to the jury this week, Judge Maria Lamb said the two officers attending his address to arrest Jackson on a separate manner and had decided to give him time to get dressed.

PC West noticed the defendant had become ‘unhappy’ with the sergeant so decided to arrest him as his behaviour had ‘escalated rapidly’.  

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According to PS Hatfield, Jackson pushed PC West backwards and then ‘jumped across the bed’ towards the sergeant and punched him.

The pair ended up wrestling on the bed and Jackson put the officer in a headlock.

It was heard that Jackson had then tried to gouge the officers eyes out after punching him five to 10 times.