Essex Police officer savagely slashed with huge glass shard that missed artery by 1cm quits job

A police officer who almost died after a brutal glass attack has left the force - while his attacker has been given an indefinite hospital order.

Ahmed Poka, 23, brutally attacked PC Matthew Bright by slashing him across the face and neck with a piece of glass after police were called to an area at around 4pm as part of a missing persons hunt for Poka, who had absconded from a mental hospital in Harlow, Essex. Once at the scene PC Bright, who had been searching for Poka, called out to him and approached him.

Poka responded with violence and using a large shard of glass he slashed the officer down the side of his jaw and neck missing a major artery by little more than 1cm. The officer was taken to hospital and given 22 stitches and has been left scarred for life. The horror took place on September 7 in 2022 and the cop has since left Essex Police, and is understood to no longer be in policing.

Poka was deemed unfit to stand trial after being charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon. On June 3 this year a trial of facts found Poka, of Boxted Road in Colchester, carried out both acts at Goodman House in Harlow.

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At a hearing on September 11, Poka, who suffers from schizoaffective disorder, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order. He can only ever be released if expert clinicians and the Home Secretary are satisfied he no longer poses a risk to the public.

The BBC reports a court heard Poka suffers with symptoms similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is "unpredictable and aggressive".

Mr Bright has been struggling to sleep at night since the attack, and said this month: "I think about it every day. It's had a massive impact on my family and colleagues who were there that day."

Judge Christopher Morgan said such an order was necessary to protect the public and added it was not possible to say how long Poka would remain a risk of serious harm. Addressing the victim, Judge Morgan said: "The final matter in this case is to express the gratitude that everyone has to officers such as [the victim] and his colleagues who, without any thought for their own safety, seek to protect the safety of others."

Officer in the case Detective Constable Alfred Self said: "This has proven to be a challenging investigation and court process, but I am hopeful this resolution will ensure Poka can pose no further danger to the public and to serving officers. Every day, police officers dedicate themselves to keeping the public safe.

"That work often means anticipating a level of danger, placing themselves deliberately in harm’s way to catch criminals and safeguard the community. But, as this case proves, this danger can be spontaneous and unpredictable.

"In this case, officers were simply responding to a missing persons enquiry – working to ensure the welfare and safety of Poka. Instead, within a few short moments of utterly shocking violence, this officer was left fearing for his life.

"This offence has had a profound and life-changing impact on not just the injured officer, but his colleagues. I can only hope the conclusion of this case and the thorough nature of our investigation will bring a small degree of closure for them."