A dangerous criminal blinded a police officer in a horrifying assault that left her with lasting damage to her vision.
Mohammed Rasool had been subject to an arrest warrant for non-appearance at court on robbery charges when the Crawley attack took place.
Three officers moved to apprehend the 44-year-old man, but Rasool responded with brutal violence.
He clawed at the eyes of two women serving as officers, dragged them by their hair, bit them and hit them using a mobile phone, causing serious and irreversible harm to both.
One officer described the terrifying moment she felt fingers across her face, comparing the sensation to a spider searching for her eye socket, believing she faced the worst possible outcome.
The arrest attempt came after two separate incidents of aggressive road rage involving Rasool in the vicinity of Gatwick Airport where he verbally and physically attacked other motorists.
Hove Crown Court heard how the initial incident occurred on 3 May 2024, when a taxi driver had arrived at the airport to drop off a fare and pick up another job.
The driver was subjected to racial abuse by Rasool before being punched. Rasool fled the scene in a white Toyota Prius but was subsequently identified and taken into custody.
Less than two months subsequently, Rasool was implicated in another road rage confrontation near the airport on 28 June 2024.
Rasool carried out a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre before suddenly braking directly in front of the driver’s vehicle. He then exited his car, approached the victim and struck him through the car window before seizing the victim’s telephone and departing.
He faced charges relating to these offences but failed to attend Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 28 May the previous year, leading to a warrant being issued for his detention.
On 31 May, three officers comprising a detective constable and two police constables attended his residential address.
The officers attempted to carry out a safe detention of Rasool, who became aggressive, striking one officer with a mobile phone and clawing at the detective’s eyes.
The detective suffered permanent impairment to her sight as a result.
One officer reported that she had encountered assault previously, though this had affected her more profoundly than any previous incident during her 28 years of service. She said the events were truly shocking. She observed her colleagues being attacked and seriously injured, while she genuinely believed she might lose her vision due to the assault. She was completely terrified. Blood ran down her face, she struggled to breathe. She was utterly drained from the prolonged assault while simultaneously attempting to defend her colleagues and herself. She added that when she felt fingers on her face resembling a spider, attempting to find her eye socket, she believed the worst was happening. This would remain with her forever. She stated that no individual should endure such extreme violence or be attacked simply for performing their duties.
Detective Chief Inspector Pauline Lane from Crawley CID said the degree of violence displayed by Rasool was utterly horrifying. She explained that the pair of road rage incidents outside the airport were bad enough in themselves. He drove in an aggressive manner and then proceeded to carry out unprovoked attacks on two taxi drivers who were simply conducting their legitimate work. She noted that following his failure to attend court, he then launched a vicious and prolonged assault on officers who were present to serve the community and maintain public safety. She said such assaults are completely unacceptable and illustrate the dangers our officers confront daily whilst carrying out their duties. She concluded that Rasool is plainly a violent and hazardous person, and she is pleased he is receiving a substantial prison sentence.