Mohammed Rasool, aged 44, has been jailed for six years and ten months following a brutal assault on two female police officers in Crawley. Rasool pleaded guilty to charges including grievous bodily harm, robbery, and racially aggravated assault at Hove Crown Court on 19 March.
Rasool was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court over a robbery charge when officers arrived at his home on Gossops Drive to arrest him. What followed was a savage and violent attack. Rasool gouged the officers’ eyes, bit them, yanked their hair, and struck them with a mobile phone.
One officer suffered permanent eye damage. She described the attack, saying, “When I felt fingers over my face like a spider trying to locate my eye socket, I feared the worst. I don’t think I will ever forget this.” Her colleague, who has served 28 years on the police force, called it the worst attack she has ever faced and spoke about the terror she felt while defending herself and her team.
Rasool’s violent behaviour extended beyond the attack on police officers. The court heard about two racist road rage incidents near Gatwick Airport. On 3 May 2024, Rasool racially abused and assaulted a taxi driver. Then, on 28 June 2024, he punched a driver through a car window, stole the driver’s phone, and fled the scene.
After being charged for these offences, Rasool again failed to appear in court, which led to the police visit and the subsequent vicious assault on the officers.
Detective Chief Inspector Pauline Lane condemned Rasool’s actions as “truly shocking.” She said, “The road-rage incidents were appalling enough, but he then unleashed a vicious and sustained assault on officers who were there to protect the public. Rasool is clearly a violent and dangerous individual, and I am pleased he is serving a significant custodial sentence.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
