Ryan Robinson given suspended sentence for assaulting officers after asking: ‘Know any jokes?’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

An American tourist assaulted two armed police officers outside Buckingham Palace after asking them if they knew any jokes, a court has heard.

Ryan Robinson, 36, of Hawaii, punched Ben Collins in the face at least four times and tried to grab his Taser electrical weapon on Wednesday evening.

When Simon Leckie tried to intervene, shouting “armed police, stand still” and pointing his weapon at Robinson, he knocked him to the ground.

He then pulled the two officers to their feet in “an extraordinary display of strength”, said the prosecutor, Henry Fitch, before punching Collins again.

Robinson was heavily intoxicated and it required the help of several other officers before he could be restrained and arrested, Westminster magistrates court heard.

The two officers had been on patrol awaiting the arrival of the Prince of Wales and had asked Robinson to get out of the way behind the barriers when he attacked them.

Robinson appeared in court on Friday and pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer.

The court heard Collins sustained bruising to his face and ribs, while Leckie sustained a tendon injury in his wrist and remains unable to move it.

Michael Boyd, for the defence, said Robinson had been staying at a hostel in Hyde Park and travelling in the UK for about a month before the attack.

“He appears to have taken exception to the way in which PC Collins dealt with him, believing he was behaving rather officiously,” he said.

“He was arrested and taken to the police station. He admitted the offences in interview and expressed remorse.”

Boyd said Robinson had been planning on staying in the UK for another week, but had not yet booked his flight home. From the dock, the defendant said he had just over £200 in cash and no other money because his credit card had been stolen a week ago.

When asked if he had reported the theft, Robinson said he had not had the chance because “England has been a fun place to visit, so I didn’t really think it was necessary”.

The district judge, Margot Coleman, replied: “If it’s such a fun place to visit, I would have thought you would have needed credit cards to take advantage of that fun place to be.”

Handing him an eight-week prison term, suspended for one year, she said: “You must appreciate that committing an assault on officers who are protecting the palace and the royal family is a serious matter, particularly in the manner you did.

“It was a fierce assault and it appeared to the officer at the time that you tried to go for his Taser gun. Who could have anticipated where that might have led?

“The fact that you were intoxicated at the time makes you the author of your own misfortunes. It does not diminish the offence in any way; if anything, it aggravates it.”

Robinson was also ordered to pay £200 compensation to both officers and £80 costs within a week, or serve 14 days in prison.