Terrifying moment hero police officer Stuart Outten was brutally attacked with machete

Rebecca Speare-Cole23 January 2020
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This is the terrifying moment a heroic police officer was brutally attacked with a machete in east London.

Pc Stuart Outten, 29, suffered six blows to the head from a 2ft long blade after stopping Muhammad Rodwan's white van for having no insurance in Leyton on August 7 last year.

Rowan, 56, was convicted of wounding with intent at the Old Bailey on Thursday, but was found not guilty of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

As Rodwan "came in for the kill" with machete poised to strike, the Metropolitan Police officer Tasered him twice, the Old Bailey heard.

Pc Stuart Outten during an attack by Muhammad Rodwan
PA

The footage of the attack from bodyworn cameras of Pc Outten and his colleague PC Helen Brooks shows the terrifying attack as Rowan raised his weapon above his head before striking.

Mobile phone clips taken by eyewitnesses also showed the officer's arms and head covered in blood.

Rodwan has been convicted for wounding with intent
Met Police

The sound of Rodwan’s blade striking PC Outten’s head can be heard, followed by a desperate cry from the officer of “machete” as he recoiled and activated his Taser.

The footage has been released for the first time after Mrs Justice Carr ruled that the images were too shocking to be made public during the trial.

Muhammad Rodwan, 56, has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of wounding with intent
PA

Bleeding heavily from deep gashes to the head, broken fingers and a wound to the arm, Pc Outten shouted at a passerby to pass his radio so he could call for an ambulance.

Rodwan, who has previous convictions for rape and two machete attacks, claimed he acted in self defence, telling police: "My life is worth more than his life."

The officer suffered deep gashes to his head as well as broken fingers and a wound to the arm
PA

But graphic police body worn video showed him punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as Pc Outten tried to arrest him.

Just an hour before the incident, Pc Outten had texted his girlfriend, who is also an officer: "Right I'm off to cause trouble. Stay safe my love."

Pc Stuart Outten, 29, who was stabbed in Leyton
PA

Later, he sent her the rueful update that it was "a bit more trouble" than he had bargained for.

A jury deliberated for seven hours to find Rodwan guilty of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Mrs Justice Carr adjourned sentencing until Friday morning.

Rodwan made no reaction as the verdicts were delivered.

Court artist sketch of Muhammad Rodwan, 56, who was accused of a machete attack on a police officer
PA

He had claimed he had the machete in his van for his gardening work.

Afterwards, Pc Outten said he counted himself "very lucky" to survive, saying "thankfully" his head was hard enough to withstand the onslaught.

He said: "On that night I was just doing my job, doing what I'm trained to do, but more importantly making sure I didn't die, because that was a distinct possibility had the attack carried on.

"Once he's started hitting me in the head with the machete, then I realised it was escalating very quickly and I was having to now fight for my life.

"I recall specifically as I was falling to the floor, having fired the first shot and aiming for the second (thinking) that if this doesn't work, this might be it.

"But luckily the Taser worked. It did its job. He fell incapacitated next to me and I was able to use it to keep him on the floor and to keep myself alive."

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