A PC dubbed "Britain's hardest cop" survived six blows to the head from a 2ft long blade with a machete after a handyman with a violent history struck while on duty. PC Stuart Outten, 29, was attacked after stopping Muhammad Rodwan's white van for having no insurance in Leyton, east London, on the evening of August 7 last year. As Rodwan "came in for the kill" with machete poised to strike, the Metropolitan Police officer tasered him twice, the Old Bailey heard. Bleeding heavily from deep gashes to the head, broken fingers and a wound to the arm, PC Outten shouted at a passerby to pass his radio so he could call for an ambulance. Rodwan, 56, who has previous convictions for rape and two machete attacks, claimed he acted in self defence, telling police: "My life is worth more than his life." But graphic police body worn video showed him punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as PC Outten tried to arrest him. The Old Bailey found Rodwan guilty of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He was cleared of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon. Rodwan had claimed he had the machete in his van for his gardening work. In recounting the events of that night, PC Outten had texted his girlfriend, who is also an officer: "Right I'm off to cause trouble. Stay safe my love." Later, he sent her the rueful update that it was "a bit more trouble" than he had bargained for. Afterwards, PC Outten said he counted himself "very lucky" to survive, saying "thankfully" his head was hard enough to withstand the onslaught. He said: "On that night I was just doing my job, doing what I'm trained to do, but more importantly making sure I didn't die, because that was a distinct possibility had the attack carried on. "Once he's started hitting me in the head with the machete, then I realised it was escalating very quickly and I was having to now fight for my life. "I recall specifically as I was falling to the floor, having fired the first shot and aiming for the second (thinking) that if this doesn't work, this might be it. "But luckily the Taser worked. It did its job. He fell incapacitated next to me and I was able to use it to keep him on the floor and to keep myself alive." Of his attacker, he said: "It feels good to see the system going through the paces, but personal feelings for him? I don't have any. "There's no hatred. He did what he did, he's now paying the price for it. "I don't feel the attack was personal. He was attacking an officer in uniform and I responded as such." Dismissing his "hardest cop" title, PC Outten said: "Luckily I have the size and build that I can take a couple of machete blows to the head - apparently - and I can act afterwards." The jury was not told that Rodwan had previously attacked two men with a machete in the bedroom of his flat in east London in 1996. The defendant, then known as Rodney Reid, was jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court for nine years for wounding with i
A PC dubbed "Britain's hardest cop" survived six blows to the head from a 2ft long blade with a machete after a handyman with a violent history struck while on duty. PC Stuart Outten, 29, was attacked after stopping Muhammad Rodwan's white van for having no insurance in Leyton, east London, on the evening of August 7 last year. As Rodwan "came in for the kill" with machete poised to strike, the Metropolitan Police officer tasered him twice, the Old Bailey heard. Bleeding heavily from deep gashes to the head, broken fingers and a wound to the arm, PC Outten shouted at a passerby to pass his radio so he could call for an ambulance. Rodwan, 56, who has previous convictions for rape and two machete attacks, claimed he acted in self defence, telling police: "My life is worth more than his life." But graphic police body worn video showed him punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as PC Outten tried to arrest him. The Old Bailey found Rodwan guilty of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He was cleared of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon. Rodwan had claimed he had the machete in his van for his gardening work. In recounting the events of that night, PC Outten had texted his girlfriend, who is also an officer: "Right I'm off to cause trouble. Stay safe my love." Later, he sent her the rueful update that it was "a bit more trouble" than he had bargained for. Afterwards, PC Outten said he counted himself "very lucky" to survive, saying "thankfully" his head was hard enough to withstand the onslaught. He said: "On that night I was just doing my job, doing what I'm trained to do, but more importantly making sure I didn't die, because that was a distinct possibility had the attack carried on. "Once he's started hitting me in the head with the machete, then I realised it was escalating very quickly and I was having to now fight for my life. "I recall specifically as I was falling to the floor, having fired the first shot and aiming for the second (thinking) that if this doesn't work, this might be it. "But luckily the Taser worked. It did its job. He fell incapacitated next to me and I was able to use it to keep him on the floor and to keep myself alive." Of his attacker, he said: "It feels good to see the system going through the paces, but personal feelings for him? I don't have any. "There's no hatred. He did what he did, he's now paying the price for it. "I don't feel the attack was personal. He was attacking an officer in uniform and I responded as such." Dismissing his "hardest cop" title, PC Outten said: "Luckily I have the size and build that I can take a couple of machete blows to the head - apparently - and I can act afterwards." The jury was not told that Rodwan had previously attacked two men with a machete in the bedroom of his flat in east London in 1996. The defendant, then known as Rodney Reid, was jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court for nine years for wounding with i
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