Three-months-pregnant woman alleges she had miscarriage after police tasered her on busy road
A pregnant woman suffered miscarriage days after being tasered by a police officer, a court was told. Leanne Perrett was three-months-pregnant when she fell unconscious on a busy street in South Wales after being hit by the high-powered stun gun. The 35-year-old was reportedly tasered by the officer identified as PC Hughes, who arrived at the scene in June when Perrett and her 34-year-old partner Kyle Butts were fighting on the street.
Prosecutor Kelly-Marie Johnson told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, “both were seen in the street shoving one another and shouting insults. The officer was approached by male and then the female, she was saying: 'I want him nicked'. She then charged towards the male and the officer attempted to arrest her putting her in a restraint. As he attempted to handcuff her she slipped his grasp and he took her to the floor. It is said she then punched him and he was forced to continue to restrain her."
The court also heard that Butts attempted to punch the cop, but he was restrained on time. However, soon Perrett tried to hit them. “She is then alleged to have thrown another punch. It is unclear if that connected. The officer has then had to use his Taser to control the situation,” Prosecutor Johnson added. The couple confessed to assaulting an emergency worker. They also admitted to using threatening words or behavior to cause fear of violence, The Metro reported.
Tom Trobe, who was defending the pair, said that the incident left Perrett with "substantial injuries" as he added: “The most serious injury that she suffered was the loss of her child. She was three months pregnant. While there is no medical evidence to say that this was the direct cause, she lost the baby in the subsequent days. She accepts this was an unpleasant incident where violence need not have occurred." Trobe also defended Butts and said he only hit the officer after his partner was struck. “This was an emotive situation and not a pre-planned offense,” he said.
In addition, Trobe mentioned that Perrett was a patient with a psychiatric disorder, and because of the Covid-19 pandemic, was not able to receive treatment. Also, she and her partner were drug addicts but were now receiving treatment. Meanwhile, district Judge Shoman Khan defended Hughes’ choice of using the taser gun. He said, “The officer's reaction was instinctive, it was a heated situation and I thought he dealt with it very well.” Khan awarded an eight-week suspended sentence and a nine-month drug rehabilitation order to Butts, while the woman got a 16-week suspended sentence and was asked to attend a thinking skills program. Speaking with the pair, the judge said, “If you commit more offenses you bring them on yourselves just like you did in this incident."
Perrett also spoke outside the court and blamed the cop for her miscarriage. She said, “I suffered a miscarriage after it happened. I was three months pregnant and I lost the baby. I know that's what caused it,” adding: “The first thing I remember was waking up and being pushed into the back of the police van. They had to lift me in because I couldn’t stand up — my legs just wouldn’t work. I thought I had broken my cheekbones as I was in so much pain and I had a black eye that stayed for over three weeks. The copper’s reaction was completely over the top, he was well out of order. He had no need to Taser me. My mum saw the video afterwards and was crying.”
While a spokesman for South Wales Police said as reported by The Sun, “suffering a miscarriage is an extremely traumatic experience and our sympathies are with anyone who loses a child in this way. The court recognized there was no medical evidence that this incident was the cause of the miscarriage. The single crewed officer who was involved in this incident dealt with an extremely difficult situation remarkably well. Faced with extreme provocation and violence, he was fearless and showed great tactical competence and skill. The Taser footage was reviewed by South Wales Police with no issues identified. We hope the sentence ordered by the court, along with the drug treatment program, provide the necessary support."