POLICE in South Wales have apologised to two of their officers after “unacceptable delays” in their investigation contributed to a man who assaulted them walking free from court.

On July 5, 2021, two South Wales Police officers were assaulted on Merthyr High Street, while carrying out their duties.

But, due to delays in the investigation, the process which led to the attacker appearing before court was delayed.

This was cited as a reason for Caerphilly man Anthony Graham Foley receiving a suspended prison sentence for his crimes, rather than being locked up.

Appearing before Mid Wales Magistrates Court in Merthyr Tydfil on Friday, May 13, Foley pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker.

The 32-year-old, of New Road, Deri, in the Caerphilly borough, was handed a 16-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, along with 120 hours of unpaid work.

While the offences crossed the custody threshold due to their severity – the court heard that there were a number of mitigating factors at play.

Not only had Foley pleaded guilty to the offences, it was also heard in court that he is currently undergoing help for alcohol abuse.

In addition, it was revealed that the delay in bringing the case to court was a contributing factor behind a suspended sentence being handed down.

Following the sentencing, a senior South Wales Police figure moved to reassure officers that prosecuting anyone who assaults police officers and frontline staff “is a priority for us”.

Continuing, Superintendent Matt Codd said that in this instance, “unacceptable delays in the investigation hampered the judicial process which had a direct and detrimental impact on the outcome.”

Statement from police in full

Superintendent Matt Codd of South Wales Police told the Argus: “Assaults on police officers and frontline staff have a significant impact on individuals both physically and psychologically.

“Whilst the nature of policing is such that it requires members of the organisation to handle difficult and hostile situations, assaults upon them are serious matters and wholly unacceptable.

“This is a priority for us and we are committed to preventing and decreasing the number of assaults on our staff.

“An effective way of achieving this is to ensure perpetrators of assaults on police, without fail, are arrested, charged and put before the courts.

“Regrettably, on this occasion, unacceptable delays in the investigation hampered the judicial process which had a direct and detrimental impact on the outcome.

“This has been addressed internally and we have apologised to both officers as we recognise that they have been let down.

“Whilst both officers are disappointed, they do understand this is an anomaly which in no way reflects our robust and protective stance when dealing with this issue.”