Leyton machete attack: Van driver jailed for wounding officer

A man has been jailed for repeatedly slashing a police officer with a machete in a "brutal and shocking" attack.

Muhammad Rodwan, 56, from Luton, slashed PC Stuart Outten, 29, after the van driver was pulled over by officers in Leyton, east London, in August.

Despite his injuries, the PC managed to Taser Rodwan twice, subduing him.

Jailing him for 16 years, Mrs Justice Carr said "arrogant" Rodwan had shown "not a shred of remorse or insight".

A jury at the Old Bailey convicted him on Thursday of wounding but acquitted him of attempted murder.

PC Outten suffered wounds to his head and hand from a 2ft-long blade after stopping Rodwan's white van for having no insurance.

He also suffered slash wounds to his arm, several broken fingers and three severed tendons in one hand.

The judge told Rodwan: "This was a brutal and a shocking attack with a machete on a police officer carrying out his duties."

She told Rodwan the situation was entirely of his own making, carried out while he was "in a rage".

The judge added he had shown "belligerent arrogance".

During his trial, the defendant said he did not know PC Outten had a Taser and had raised the machete up to "try to scare him away from me".

Graphic footage from the police officer's body worn camera showed Rodwan punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as PC Outten tried to arrest him.

Rodwan claimed he was acting in self-defence and that he kept the machete in his van for gardening work.

Following the verdicts on Thursday, PC Outten said he felt "no hatred" for Rodwan despite having to" fight for my life".

"He did what he did, he's now paying the price for it," he said.

"I don't feel the attack was personal. He was attacking an officer in uniform and I responded as such."

The court was told Rodwan had previous convictions for rape and two other machete attacks, for which he was jailed for nine years.

The defendant was convicted of wounding with intent, but cleared of charges of attempted murder and having an offensive weapon, namely a machete.

Rodwan was told by Justice Carr he must serve at least two-thirds of the custodial sentence in prison.

She added he was also given an extended sentence of a further three years on licence "to protect the public".

She also ordered the disposal of the machete.