Man jailed for stabbing officer in Bracknell

Nattriss had been serving a seven-year jail term for other robberies

A man who stabbed a police officer in a robbery days after being freed from prison on licence has been jailed for a minimum of 12-and-a-half years.

Kes Nattriss, 28, stabbed Det Con Luke Simms in the stomach as the officer tried to arrest him at Coral in Bracknell, Berkshire, on 19 May.

He had been released part-way through a seven-year term for raids on off-licences and a bookmaker, police said.

Nattriss, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of attempted murder.

He also admitted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at an earlier hearing at Reading Crown Court.

He was given a life term with a 12-and-a-half year minimum tariff.

Police said five days after Nattriss was freed, Thames Valley Police officer Mr Simms and his colleague, Det Con Lisa Child, were at Coral inquiring about an unrelated matter when Nattriss walked in.

'Public threat'

He headed to the counter and handed over a threatening message scrawled on a betting slip to a member of the shop's staff.

The poorly spelt note read: "Give me all the money and their [sic] won't be a seen [sic]".

However, Mr Simms, who was in plain clothes at the time, was standing nearby and caught a glimpse of the betting slip that had been handed over, police said.

The detective whispered to his colleague what was happening and told her they needed to call in assistance. But as he tried to arrest the suspect, Nattriss lunged at him with the knife.

The seriously injured officer was taken in a critical condition to Frimley Park Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to staunch bleeding to his abdomen.

Det Con Simms said in a statement: "It was only after the incident that I actually discovered that he had previously committed 11 armed robberies in 2006.

"My family was disgusted that somebody who was clearly a threat to the public was allowed back out on the streets.

"[The sentence] will allow my family and me to have some closure and move on."