Police chief describes shopping centre attack on officers as his 'worst nightmare'
A police chief has described the moment he heard two officers were victims of a "sustained and vicious" attack in West Bromwich as his "worst nightmare".
Sandwell brothers Parminder Hunjan, 37, and Maninder Hunjan, 26, were carrying an arsenal of weapons including a 'Rambo'-style weapon and an imitation gun when they were stopped during an operation aimed to tackle town centre knife crime.
Following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March the brothers were cleared of trying to kill the officers, but were found guilty of wounding them during the violence, in New Square Shopping Centre, in West Bromwich, on July 21 last year.
Parminder Hunjan, who the court was told slashed at one of the officers while they deployed pepper spray, was found not guilty of attempted murder on account of both police officers – but the jury found him guilty of wounding Pc Leon Mittoo and Pc James Willetts with intent and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Maninder Hunjan was also cleared of attempted murder charges but was found guilty of wounding Pc James Willetts with intent and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
In a victim impact statement, one of the officers, Pc Mittoo, said: "I really thought I was going to die. I really feared for my life."
Both officers also admitted the attack had harmed their personal lives, with Pc Mittoo stating that it contributed to the breakdown of his relationship with his partner.
Giving them extended terms, Judge Michael Chambers QC jailed Parminder Hunjan for 14 years and Maninder Hunjan for 12 years on Monday. They must serve two-thirds before being eligible for parole and will be subject to licensing conditions.
He made compensation orders for cash seized from the men with orders of £2,968 in favour of Pc Mittoo and £2,320 in favour of Pc Willetts. He also made forfeiture and destruction order for the weapons seized.
Speaking after the sentence, Chief Superintendent Ian Green, Sandwell police commander, said: “It’s your worst nightmare, hearing your officers getting stabbed.
“This doesn’t just impact on them, they are sons, fathers etc, so this has a much wider impact on their families, friends and colleagues. I’m just really thankful they weren’t significantly injured.
“I’m incredibly proud of how brave they’ve been. They ran towards dangers and dealt with people with multiple weapons. Thankfully this doesn’t happen every day and isn’t a regular occurrence.
“We still don’t know why the attack occurred, we may never know the answer to that, what I do know is that our officers saved people’s lives that day.”
The brothers were stopped by the officers after being spotted dressed in jackets and carrying rucksacks on a hot day.
During the trial the jury was told that one of the officers was "circled" as he was attacked after he and his colleague stopped the defendants.
The brothers' address can not be reported for legal reasons.
