Sheffield thug on boozed-up rampage kicked one police officer down stairs & spat in face of another
“Violence and derogatory and racist conduct against officers who were undertaking their jobs is shameful”
A violent Sheffield thug on a booze-fuelled rampage kicked one police officer down a set of stairs and spat in the face of another, before racially abusing a third while in custody.
Joshua Dunleavey, aged 24, subjected the officers to the shocking spate of offences after they were called out to his grandmother’s home over an ongoing incident involving him, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Jailing Dunleavey for 14 months, the judge, Recorder Anna Moran, told him: “Violence and derogatory and racist conduct against officers who were undertaking their jobs is shameful - and I’m told you’ve reflected on that.”
The officer Dunleavey kicked down the stairs fell backwards, causing him to bang his head on a doorframe.
Lauren Smith, prosecuting, said the officer suffered injuries including grazes to his eyebrow and elbow, and was left with a concussion which left him unable to work for around a week and impacted on his personal responsibilities.
In a statement to the court, read to a September 8, 2026 hearing, the officer said he takes pride in performing his duties to the best of his ability, but was unable to after suffering the concussion.
Ms Smith described how Dunleavey spat at the second officer, who was also called out to Dunleavey’s grandmother’s house, leaving “spittle” on her cheek.
After being arrested, Dunleavey was transported to custody in a police van, and urinated in it while en-route.
The van had to be deep cleaned after he soiled it at a cost of £100, Ms Smith said.
After arriving in custody, Dunleavey racially abused an officer, using a barrage of pejorative terms.
In her statement, the affected officer said Dunleavey’s words had left her feeling “inferior”.
Dunleavey, of Robey Street, Page Hall, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating of an emergency worker, racially aggravated harassment and criminal damage at an earlier hearing.
Defending, Matthew Burdon said Dunleavey suffered an acute head injury in 2021 and as such has no recollection of the incident, which occurred while he was intoxicated.
Mr Burdon said Dunleavey is “ashamed” of his behaviour and now recognises he has an issue with alcohol.