Man Given Life for Ealing Broadway Police Stabbing

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Praise for officers seriously injured tackling violent criminal they knew to be armed

A man who stabbed two police officers on Ealing Broadway has been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey today (25th October).

John Onyenaychi, aged 30, an unemployed man from East London, was found guilty of the attempted murder of PC Paul Madden and PCSO Piotr Dolata. He stabbed them when they discovered that he was already wanted by the police during a routine check on a bus on December 15th last year.

Onyenaychi was also convicted of two counts of wounding with intent to cause serious harm; one on a further PCSO at the same incident and one in relation to a separate incident in a cab office five days earlier; and a robbery in Hammersmith in the same week.

He is to serve a minimum of 25 years for the attempted murder of PC Paul Madden; a minimum of 20 years for the attempted murder of PCSO Dolata; 15 years imprisonment for the wounding with intent in relation to the assault in the cab office; 10 years imprisonment for the wounding with intent of a PCSO in The Broadway, Ealing; 10 years imprisonment for robbery. All sentences are to run concurrently.

Four days before the stabbing on the Broadway, a cab driver picked up two passengers from the South Ealing Road at around 8.30pm and drove them to the Windmill Estate. When they arrived one of the men threatened to rob him and then got out of the car without paying the fare. Unbeknown to him his mobile phone had fallen out of his pocket and was left behind. The cab driver immediately reported the incident to the police and gave them the mobile phone for evidence.

Later that evening the cab driver was sitting in a car outside the cab office in Greenford Avenue when a man jumped into the back seat of the car, grabbed him around the neck and threatened him with a knife whilst demanding the return of his phone. He told him the phone was in the office and he was dragged towards the premises, stopping before entering to put on a balaclava.

 

Footage of Onyenaychi being escorted from the bus

Whilst he was doing this, the driver was able to run away and the man continued into the office, shouted at a member of the public, Anwar Memon sitting inside "I want my phone" before stabbing him five times, he then ran from the scene. Mr. Memon was taken to hospital where he received treatment for wounds to his arms and chest and was subsequently discharged.

Intelligence checks suggested that the person responsible was John Paul Onyenaychi, who was wanted on a recall to prison for breaching his parole conditions in relation to an offence committed in 2008. Police checks on the phone left in the cab also identified it as belonging to Onyenaychi. Whilst extensive enquiries continued into tracing him, it was found that he had access to a vehicle which had been used in a robbery in Hammersmith on Monday 13 December 2010. He had contacted the seller of a laptop pretending to be a potential buyer and then gone to his address, threatened him with a knife and stolen the property. Police recovered the vehicle used and inside found a knife identical to the one used in the cab office stabbing.

On Wednesday 15 December at around 3pm in The Broadway, Ealing, Revenue Inspectors and a team of Safer Transport Officers and were conducting revenue inspections on buses. PCSOs recognised Onyenaychi as being wanted on a Recall Notification and surrounded him to stop him from leaving, whilst calling for assistance. PC Paul Madden arrived on the scene in a patrol car and spoke to Onyenaychi who was clearly agitated, Onyenaychi then stabbed him in the face, chin and neck with a retractable knife.

PCSO Dolata tried to bring Onyenaychi to the ground so he could be restrained and was stabbed across the top of his head, after which he fell onto the pavement. A second PCSO also sustained slash wounds to his clothing whilst trying to assist. The defendant was finally brought to the ground and held by a number of officers whilst he was handcuffed, during which time he continued to struggle and make threats that he was going to "cut and finish" the officers.

PC Paul Madden

Both PC Madden and PCSO Dolata were treated in the immediate aftermath of the incident by a retired surgeon, who was out shopping, colleagues and paramedics. PC Madden, 24, required extensive medical treatment for a throat wound across the jugular vein and windpipe, and a second wound close to the vertebrae in the neck column. The actions of those who attended to him at the scene, along with the subsequent treatment by medical staff, undoubtedly saved his life. PCSO Dolata, 28, received stitches to a 12 centimetre wound from the top of his head to the nape of his neck.

His Honour Judge Kramer praised the courage of the officers and PCSOs involved on the day, and highlighted the bravery of PC Madden in confronting Onyenaychi, a wanted man, while knowing he may be armed.

Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said, "Onyenaychi is a very dangerous and violent man and I am pleased that the overwhelming evidence we were able to present at court has resulted in these convictions today.

"The PCSOs and police officers held onto him and arrested him despite coming under a sustained knife attack. I have no doubt that without their bravery in capturing him he would have gone on to continue serious offending.

"Without the intervention of the passersby and other officers at the scene who administered first aid to PC Madden and PCSO Dolata, the outcome of the incident could have been very different. This case reminds us all of the risk police officers face every day as they work to keep London safe."

Chief Superintendent Andy Rowell, Ealing Borough Commander, said, "All of the officers involved in the incident that afternoon put their lives on the line to protect the public and ensure that this dangerous man did not escape, I pay tribute to their courage and determination in keeping the people of Ealing safe. I am grateful that the emergency medical treatment PC Madden and PCSO Dolata received at the scene resulted in them both making a remarkable recovery, enabling them to return to work."

PCSO Piotr Dolata, "I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my family, friends and colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Service, for helping me with successfully recovering from my injuries. "I would also like to state my appreciation to the local community from the London Borough of Ealing for the kind words of support they provided me with during my recovery from the injuries sustained in the incident last year. "

Both officers returned to work and continue to police Ealing Borough.

October 25, 2011