Bodycam clip shows man suffocating police officer and asking him 'do you want to die?'

A man who admitted trying to suffocate a police officer responding to a report of a potential gun sighting has been jailed.

Max Hallam, 58, was jailed for two and a half years after he turned violent and began attacking and threatening Sergeant Dave Cayton of Northamptonshire Police on 28 June last year.

Hallam's punch knocked Sgt Cayton to the floor, where he climbed on top of his chest, restricting his breathing while asking him: "Do you want to die?".

Sgt Cayton can be heard gasping for air in police bodycam footage, which captured the events unfolding.

Hallam released Sgt Cayton once his colleagues arrived and pointed a Taser at him.

Sgt Cayton had been responding to reports of a man in the Swansgate car park area of Wellingborough with what looked like a bag designed to carry a long-barrelled firearm.

The bag Hallam had in his car was later found to contain an air rifle.

'Not being able to breathe is the stuff of nightmares.'

Sgt Cayton’s injuries included a haemorrhaged right eye, bruising, reddening and multiple abrasions.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Neil Carr said: “What Max Hallam put Sgt Cayton through is horrendous – the body-worn video of the incident graphically illustrates the level of force involved, and the prolonged period Hallam was suffocating him for.

"Not being able to breathe is the stuff of nightmares, and I am glad that the court has recognised the severity of this offence with a significant custodial sentence."

Sgt Cayton added: "I’m satisfied with Hallam’s sentence. He will have served a significant amount of time in custody by the time he is released, which hopefully also reduces risk to the public."

Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: “The protection of my officers is a cornerstone of my role, and I’m really pleased Hallam has been given a substantial prison sentence for his attack on Sgt Cayton.

“The body-worn video of this incident is utterly chilling, as was reading Sgt Cayton’s subsequent statement, in which he detailed how he genuinely believed he would die.

“He is a long-serving and experienced officer who came to work that day to help others. It doesn’t bear thinking about how close he came to not going home safely to his family that night, all because of one violent man.

"Any assault on one of my officers is unacceptable. We will always seek to prosecute those responsibly, and it is right that the courts take the sentencing of such offences so seriously."