South Yorkshire Police dog handler left permanently scarred after horrendous attack which saw him pinned to the floor and repeatedly punched in the face

PC Dan Lumley, a dog handler, was responding to a 999 call of a man in possession of a baseball bat who was threatening to kill members of his family and damaging cars in the Thrybergh area of Rotherham.

When PC Lumley and his police dog Vinnie arrived at the scene to arrest the man - later identified as Adam Burgin - he was viciously assaulted several times.

Burgin, 29, forced the officer to the floor, used his weight against him and punched him in the face more than five times, during the attack, which took place on September 2, last year.

PC Lumley was rushed to hospital for treatment for a broken nose and injuries to his left eye. He has since required ongoing treatment for the loss of smell and has been left with permanent scarring to his face.

Burgin fled the scene and was later arrested at his home in South Vale Drive, Rotherham, and subsequently charged with the attack.

He was convicted of assault following a three day trial at Sheffield Crown Court and will be sentenced on Tuesday (Apr 13).

PC Lumley said: "Following the incident I questioned why I joined the police force and if I wanted to continue with policing as a career.

“I have a family at home and I don’t go to work to be assaulted. Regardless of the circumstances, we don’t deserve to be treated in that way.”

PC Lumley and police dog Vinnie have since returned to work.

“The jury returned their verdict within less than 30 minutes and I think that highlights the fact that the attack on PC Lumley is not tolerated across our communities and the overwhelming majority of people support the work of our officers.

“The judge has indicated that she intends to hand out an immediate custodial sentence – I hope this and the verdict will act as a warning to others who think this kind of behaviour is acceptable.”