By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-07-23 20:45:54 | Updated at 2026-07-23 21:52:21
1 hour ago
The Police Federation’s concerns about a violent offender who broke a police officer's leg being released from prison just 82 days later have been dismissed by the Government, it has been revealed.
20-year-old Alex Quinn’s case was raised in May this year in a letter by the Police Federation to the then Justice Secretary David Lammy.
The federation, which represents frontline officers, urged Mr Lammy to exempt violent criminals who had attacked emergency workers from the early automatic release scheme.
Officer Ryan Davis was attacked by Richard and Alex Quinn, father and son, who punched, kicked, and stamped on him as well as strangling him until he was almost unconscious.
He suffered a broken leg, fractures, a dislocated ankle, and damage to his eye.
Alex was sentenced to three years and ten months in a young offenders' institute, but was released after just 82 days.
Brian Booth, deputy national chairman of the Police Federation, wrote to Mr Lammy to warn of the "growing gap between the sentence handed down in court and the reality experienced by victims".
He said: “We will be caretakers in the community for criminals.
“How are we going to deal with a system where we have only the most dangerous people kept in prison, yet we allow some bloody dangerous people to remain on the streets with barely a rap across the wrists?
“It will embolden criminals – going soft on criminals does not keep people safe in my experience.
“We should be investing in prisons because when you take criminals off the streets, it does stop them causing harm and society is protected from them.”
Following the attack in 2024, PC Davis was left in pain and is unable to return to frontline duties as a result of his injuries.
Mr Booth urged Mr Lammy to “urgently review” the wider release framework for offenders convicted of serious violence against emergency workers, including "automatic early release provisions".
Mr Lammy passed off their concerns to Lord Timpson, the former prisons minister, to write back to the federation; however, Lord Timpson did not address the “urgent” review in his response.
He instead focused on the specific concerns over Quinn’s early release.
Officer Davis told the Mail: “His horrific attack changed who I am. I have struggled ever since. The Quinns' actions put me through so much physical and mental pain.
“All I was trying to do was protect members of the public and prevent harm. Even now, I still have nightmares, and the chronic pain is a daily reminder.”
Mr Booth said in May that it was a “kick in the teeth” for officers seeing offenders being freed so soon.
He added: “He left him to die in essence. This was an attack on a police officer so what might he be capable of doing to a member of the public?
“When a police officer almost gets killed, it just makes officers think, ‘What is the point in reporting it?’
“People won't report crimes because they will lose faith in police, in the whole criminal justice system... If you report someone and that burglar is put on tag in the community, then they go out and do it again, what is the consequence for them? More time on tag?
“Police officers will be dealing with more and more criminals in the community who should be in prison and we are not going to be able to keep an eye on everyone.
“We do not have the resources, these dangerous people are going to roam free and we will see confidence in police going down when crime is rife.”
