Councillor Will Wilkinson was drunk and aggressive to police

Maurice 'Will' Wilkinson, 59, of Duke Street, Workington, pleaded not guilty to resisting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly.

But District Judge John Temperley found Wilkinson guilty of both charges at a trial held at West Cumbria Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Wilkinson, an Allerdale councillor and deputy mayor of Workington on the town council, committed the offences in Workington town centre on August 15.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the incident happened at about 12.40am.

Police had been on patrol on Washington Street and had then parked up their unmarked vehicle on Jane Street.

They had gone to move away when a young man went to push his friend in front of the car.

Police officers stopped and gave them advice, the court was told.

Wilkinson had then approached the vehicle and engaged with the officers, leaning through the window.

He became "abusive" and "difficult" with the police officers, the court heard.

Ms Fee said: "They advise him to move away but he refuses to do so. They get out of the vehicle to speak to him about his behaviour."

The court was told that a crowd had gathered and Wilkinson was "playing up to the crowd".

Ms Fee said: "He says he is an elected councillor and says he will have their jobs.

"The officers say he was drunk, smelled of intoxicants and he had been abusive.

"Despite the warnings, he continues to be difficult and continues to make it clear he is an elected councillor."

Wilkinson was then arrested for being drunk and disorderly but started to resist and swear at the officers.

Pava spray was then used on Wilkinson, who "took hold of a lamppost, clasping his hands across his chest to stop them arresting him", the court heard.

Door staff had then assisted in taking him to the ground because the two female officers were on their own.

The court heard evidence from PC Gray, one of the officers who was in the unmarked police vehicle.

She told the court that she had pulled up on Jane Street and had leaned out of the window to speak to the young man who had pushed his friend in front of the car.

PC Gray said there had been no difficulty with them and they walked off.

She said Wilkinson had then approached the vehicle, started swearing and was "very aggressive", saying she shouldn't be speaking to the youths as she was.

"He said I had no right," she told the court. "I said I was doing my duty.

"He leaned in the vehicle. We could smell the alcohol on his breath. He's quite a big fella. Quite intimidating. We gave him a lot of chances, to be fair. He was very aggressive from the get-go.

"I just wanted to get out and tell him to move on. He was getting too in my face. It was very intimidating. It was two female officers in a plain vehicle."

PC Gray then got out of the car.

She told the court: "He kept shouting repeatedly, 'I'm an elected councillor' - as if that was going to stop any decision I was going to make.

"When I told him he was going to be arrested, he started lashing out with his arms."

The court was shown bodycam footage from PC Gray.

Wilkinson was heard shouting: "I'm an elected councillor. I'm about to report you two. You are about to be done.

"Get the **** off me.You are in ****ing trouble. I'm an elected councillor, marra.

"I'll tell you this, turn up in St Michael's ward and you are ****ed".

Wilkinson could be heard moaning on the floor while being restrained.

PC Gray told the court: "He grabbed a lamppost and locked his fingers on it. We were lucky we got the door staff to help.

"We used Pava because he's a big lad.

"He called me a ****, a dirty pig. Things like that."

Dr John Brown, defending, put to PC Gray that she had nearly hit Wilkinson in the car when she turned on to Jane Street.

PC Gray replied: "He didn't say that at the time."

The police officer was also questioned about a short period of time when she had switched off her bodycam.

She said: "I switched it back on when I decided I'm going to make the arrest. It was for less than a minute."

Dr Brown also put to PC Gray that she had punched Wilkinson to the face during this time.

She said: "I was nowhere near him. You can see on this CCTV, I have not struck him at all.

"I had the grounds to get a lot more hands on. At no point do I lay a hand on Maurice."

Dr Brown asked how drunk she believed Wilkinson to be.

She said: "I would say he has been drinking all day to get as drunk as he is.

"He's been coming and shouting and swearing in my face. He is drunk in a public place.

"He was given three or four minutes to leave the area.

"I don't get paid enough to get abuse shouted at me. I'm just a normal person under this uniform."

PC Baigent, who was in the car with PC Gray, also gave evidence.

She said: "He approached the car and started shouting abuse at us.

"He leaned in the driver's window shouting abuse, calling us names."

She said Wilkinson was "very aggressive".

"I don't understand where it came from. We hadn't had any interaction with him prior to this.

"We could smell alcohol on his breath."

PC Baigent said she only knew he was an elected councillor because he was "shouting it the whole time".

Robert Scott, a doorman at Paduas, told the court that he and his colleague had gone to help police get Wilkinson under control after seeing the officer trying to restrain him.

Mr Scott said: "He got handcuffed. He was shouting, 'you're not arresting me, I'm a councillor'.

"He seemed quite aggressive. He wanted the officers' badge numbers. He was going to have their jobs because he's a councillor.

"He wasn't extremely drunk. We could tell he'd had some drink."

Giving evidence, Wilkinson said he had been out on a boat at Derwentwater with the mayor for a charity fundraiser, before the incident took place.

He said he was back in Workington at 9pm and had a couple of drinks in the Well.

Wilkinson said he and his wife had come out of pub and set off to walk home.

He said they had walked by the Hub in the town centre and saw three youths with a hand gun.

"I rang 999 before I went home. The call didn't go too well. I hung up."

Wilkinson had gone home and noticed a withheld number had been ringing his phone.

He received another call from the withheld number and answered it, he told the court.

"It was the armed response unit. I said I'll get dressed and try and identify the youths.

"I backtracked. I continued to walk around the town looking for them. "

Wilkinson had then gone into the Ship Inn to see an old friend and had a pint of lager.

He had stayed there until closing time and said he was making his way to Sadie's to get something to eat.

Wilkinson told the court: "As I walked up to Jane Street I turned to see if it was clear to cross. There was a silver Hyundai came flying round and clipped my foot."

He said he had then crossed the road to speak to a woman he knew.

"I'm rather well known. I'm in the paper quite a lot," he told the court.

Wilkinson had then gone over to the unmarked police car.

He said: "As soon as I got to the window, I said you better watch what you're doing. I was being quite polite. I have been working very closely with police.

"She said, 'get away from our car, or I will do you for drunk and disorderly'. I said, 'you need to watch out, you are going to kill somebody'.

"Her attitude was she was right and I was wrong and if I didn't comply, I was being arrested.

"To be honest, to drive around a corner in that manner isn't being very careful. I was in shock. If I hadn't jumped back, it would have been more than my toe.

"When I told her I was going to report her, she started goading me. I was trying to walk away to get my phone out and video her."

Wilkinson told the court that he has a replacement shoulder.

He said: "I felt a punch hit me on the right side of my cheek. I felt my arm going into a position it hasn't gone into in 30 years.

"I'm being punched in the face. They were trying to pull me down. My glasses would have been smashed. My arm is being pulled in a direction it's impossible for it to go in. I'm in excruciating pain. I tell the officers I have had a shoulder replacement.

"I wasn't drunk. The police officer didn't like what I had to say. She decided that I was drunk and disorderly. I don't like being accused of something I haven't done.

"I must apologise to the court for the language I used."

The 999 call Wilkinson made after he said he had seen the youths with a gun, was played to the court.

Wilkinson told the call handler: "First of all, let me tell you, I'm an elected borough and town councillor.

"I have just witnessed someone with a firearm in their hands. It's right in the town centre. I put myself in front of them."

During cross-examination, Pamela Fee, prosecuting said to Wilkinson: "You put yourself in front of kids with a gun. You decided to go and speak to them. I suggest you put yourself in front of those lads because you had a bit of Dutch courage."

Wilkinson replied: "I don't need it."

Ms Fee also questioned Wilkinson about the alleged assault on him by the police officer.

She asked: "Where is that incident on footage?

Wilkinson replied: "It's not there. It was pointing in another direction."

Ms Fee then put to Wilkinson that the assault had not taken place.

He replied: "I was delivered a punch to the face. I was punched by someone."

Ms Fee then said: "You are not punched by police officers or door staff. You are not happy about the way you are being dealt with. You are not happy with the police in general."

Wilkinson told the court: "I work very closely with police. I'm ashamed of the language used. Unfortunately, when I get agitated, I'm a bit of a straight talker.

"I'd had hardly any drink."

Ms Fee said: "You were drunk that evening. Police gave you repeated warnings. You then decided you weren't going to be arrested and hugged that lamppost. You prevented the officers from arresting you."

Wilkinson replied: "I am titanium from my elbow up. I am stopping my arm from going into a position that it can't go."

Sean McMinn and Stephen White, friends of Wilkinson, who had seen him in the Ship Inn, gave evidence and said Wilkinson had appeared "sober" that night.

However, they both said they had not witnessed the incident with police after he left.

After delivering the guilty verdicts, Judge Temperley told Wilkinson: "I would have expected far better from someone in your position."

He was fined a total of £500 and must pay £750 costs and a £50 surcharge to fund victim services.