Suspected flasher guilty of trying to murder police officer with scissors

10 December 2024, 14:38 | Updated: 10 December 2024, 16:01

A suspected flasher has been found guilty of trying to murder a police officer by stabbing him 23 times with a pair of scissors.

Robert Jenner - a 50-year-old nicknamed the 'Naked Carpenter' - was convicted of the attempted murder of Kent police constable Sean Quinn.

Jenner stabbed PC Quinn in the head, face and neck in June 2023, leaving the officer with injuries including a "gaping wound" across his forehead, exposing his skull.

The attack took place at the defendant's Maidstone flat. During the trial, the court saw body-worn footage of the moment Jenner "launched" himself at PC Quinn, who was seen screaming for help with a bloodied face.

Jurors at Maidstone Crown Court today returned a majority verdict finding Jenner guilty of attempted murder.

He had been released from prison two days before the attack, having been jailed for breaching a court order banning him from wearing see-through clothing.

Jenner believes he is a naturist and has 11 convictions for exposure, as well as two breaches of the court order, jurors were told.

Constables Quinn and Ashley Bates went to Jenner's home to arrest him on 15 June 2023, after they suspected him of matching a report of a male running naked in a local park, "nipping in and out of bushes, exposing himself to women".

When they arrived, an "aggressive" and "completely naked" Jenner barricaded himself into his flat and officers decided to force entry into the property, the court heard.

Once inside, PC Quinn followed Jenner into his kitchen-living room. The door closed behind the pair and PC Bates heard a "cry of anguish".

When she got into the room, her colleague's "head was covered in blood and there was a pool of blood just spilling out behind his head, it was horrific," she said.

When Jenner was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, he asked if PC Quinn was okay and said: "I didn't mean to do it."

"F*** oh mate, I didn't want this to happen, I didn't want it to come to this," he added.

PC Quinn was taken to King's College Hospital in London, where he underwent surgery before being discharged the following day.

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Following the conviction, Chief Superintendent Neil Loudon said the attack "led to some of the worst injuries to a police officer I have ever seen".

"It is only by pure chance that none of these injuries proved to be fatal," he added.

Jenner did not attend his trial or give evidence. He will be sentenced at a later date.