A MAN who assaulted police officers has been sentenced despite maintaining his innocence.

Lewis Murray has been fined more than £900 following a ruckus at a 21st birthday party at Witton Albion Football Club on July 16, 2023.

Murray, of Shores Green Drive in Wincham, initially admitted to three counts of assaulting emergency workers but arrived at Chester Magistrates Court on Friday (March 15) looking to withdraw his plea.

Mike Gray, defending, explained that his client was advised to plead guilty by another firm on the morning of the trial back in February after receiving bodycam footage from the police.

However, the footage did not show the two initial assaults police had accused him of, which involved him grappling one officer and wrapping his legs around another.

Instead, it shows Murray, 22, being pinned to the ground by officers shouting “Stop resisting”.

In the video, Murray repeatedly says “I’ve done nothing wrong”, while bystanders can be heard saying things such as “Lewis didn’t do anything at all” and “You’ve got the wrong guy”.

During the course of his arrest, Murray was sprayed with captor spray and suffered a “big gash” on his head.

He also appears to be rendered unconscious for about two minutes before waking up screaming, asking “What have I done?”

Murray proceeds to tell the police to “do one” and swears at one of the officers, before kicking out as he is carried into a police van – resulting in the third charge on the indictment.

Mr Gray tracked down several witnesses, including a woman who had been working behind the bar on the night who claimed that “what is alleged is entirely incorrect”.

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Northwich Guardian: Chester Magistrates CourtChester Magistrates Court (Image: Newsquest)

Despite this, District Judge John McGarva refused Murray’s application to withdraw his guilty plea.

“Pleading guilty is a big decision and one that should not be made lightly,” he said.

“You chose to plead guilty. The fact you now don’t agree or had a second thought is not justification for me to allow you to withdraw the plea.”

He added: “I have seen a lot of footage like this and it seems to be the police are behaving perfectly properly.

“Often you see officers exerting a lot more force than that. The officers actually come across as being pretty calm.”

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Before the sentencing, Mr Gray highlighted that this was Murray’s first time before the court and was “entirely out of character”.

With this in mind, Judge McGarva fined Murray £910 and ordered him to pay £200 in costs and a £324 surcharge.