Man charged with attempted murder of female police officer after axe attack

A man has been charged with the attempted murder of a female police officer following an axe attack in Sheffield that left four other police officers injured.

Nathan Sumner, 35, of Plowright Close, was charged on 15 April after the 13 April incident in which the officers were injured after responding to a domestic incident at a flat in Plowright Close in the Gleadless area of the city.

The female officer who was seriously injured required surgery, while one male officer was injured attempting to restrain the man and three others were injured when they chased him into a nearby Co-operative supermarket.

Sumner was also charged with six counts of assault by beating, a section 47 assault, two counts of making threats to kill, affray, threatening a person with a blade in a public place and production of cannabis

Neil Bowles, chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said at the time of the attack: "This is an example of officers receiving a call from a member of the pubic and not knowing what they are going to face.

"It is atrocious that we have five officers injured in the line of duty – it is an attack on society because we now have five officers unable to work now for some time while they recover. One of these officers needs to have an operation. We are fortunate that we are not looking at something even more serious.

"We have training and processes to follow but the fact remains that if you don't know what you are facing there is always going to be an element of doubt when you turn up for a job, but officers have a sense of duty – they are there to protect the public, themselves and their colleagues."

Sumner remains in police custody and is set to appear at Sheffield magistrates' court today.