ALEXANDER WARREN-LEAN BATTLES PLYMOUTH POLICE AND POLICE DOG IN DRUG-FUELED RAMPAGE IN PLYMPTON

Alexander Warren-Lean, born around 1993, who has no fixed address but was most recently residing on Moorland Avenue in Plympton, Plymouth, found himself at the center of a violent confrontation with police and their canine unit. The incident, which took place on the evening of September 4, 2023, resulted in Warren-Lean assaulting a police dog named Freddy with a rock, as well as engaging in a fierce altercation with officers attempting to apprehend him.

Warren-Lean, a man with a long and troubling history of violent offenses dating back to his teenage years, was under the influence of crack cocaine and other street drugs at the time of the incident. His behavior was described as highly aggressive and erratic during the confrontation. He appeared before Plymouth Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to several charges, including possessing a prohibited weapon—specifically, a police Captor pepper spray—criminal damage to a door, and affray.

Despite his pleas, Warren-Lean denied intentionally causing unnecessary suffering to police dog Freddy or inflicting grievous bodily harm on his handler by swinging the weapon at his head. Nevertheless, a jury convicted him on all counts. Fortunately, police dog Freddy was not injured during the incident.

During the trial, the court reviewed body-worn camera footage from two police officers present at the scene—Pc James Whitehead, who was the first to arrive, and police dog handler Pc Andrew Parsons. The footage depicted Warren-Lean reacting with hostility from the moment officers entered the scene. At one point, when asked his name, Warren-Lean bizarrely responded with the name “Lucifer” and claimed he was trying to protect a female “cousin” of his in a nearby property, whom he believed had been slapped. However, residents of the property clarified that she was not his cousin but a family friend. Witnesses also reported that Warren-Lean had broken a rear door’s glass to gain entry, causing nearly £1,000 worth of damage.

As officers moved to arrest him for the criminal damage, Warren-Lean was seen swinging a jumper containing a rock—intended to break the rear door’s glass—at Freddy and then at Pc Parsons, striking the officer’s head. During the ensuing chaos, police dog Freddy bit Pc Whitehead’s legs instead of Warren-Lean, who by that point had managed to snatch Pc Parsons’ pepper spray and spray it directly into his face. Despite being taken to the ground, Warren-Lean continued to resist violently, even though he was wearing a boot cast on his lower leg, which he claimed was the result of an attack by two men.

Two members of the public intervened to help the officers, holding Warren-Lean back as he was heard chanting incoherent words on the body-worn footage. Pc Parsons sustained a head laceration measuring approximately 5 centimeters, along with cuts and bruises, and was taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment. He described the pain as the worst he had ever experienced, emphasizing that Warren-Lean had not hit him with a fist but with the rock.

Pc Whitehead testified that Warren-Lean’s behavior was “quite erratic” and described him as exhibiting “the highest level of aggression I’ve come across serving with the police.” He also revealed that while in custody, Warren-Lean made a disturbing remark: “I was on my home turf with you coming towards me. I had a right to f*** you up.”

It was also revealed that Warren-Lean had accumulated 35 previous convictions for a total of 60 offenses, including theft, burglary, drug offenses, robbery, assaults, and possession of an imitation firearm. His criminal record painted a picture of a man with a persistent pattern of violent and antisocial behavior.

In mitigation, Warren-Lean’s defense lawyer, Michael Green, argued that his client had not been taking his prescribed medication for psychological disorders at the time, largely due to homelessness. Since being remanded in custody, Warren-Lean had resumed his medication regimen and had only been involved in three incidents over the past ten months in prison, a significant improvement compared to previous periods of incarceration. Green highlighted Warren-Lean’s difficult upbringing and his extensive criminal record, describing it as “one of the saddest records I’ve seen.”

Furthermore, a psychiatric report indicated that Warren-Lean was diagnosed with a personality disorder and had mental health difficulties. The court learned that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (ASD) at age 12 and had engaged in “harmful poly-substance misuse,” starting with cannabis at the same age. The report also confirmed diagnoses of mixed personality disorder, emotional instability disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.

Judge Davey KC, who presided over the case, took into account the psychiatric assessments and Warren-Lean’s lack of stable accommodation. The judge noted that Warren-Lean had taken psychoactive substances and crack cocaine shortly before the incident, which contributed to his disturbed mental state at the time. The psychiatric report described his lifestyle as entrenched in negativity, homelessness, drug dependence, and poor mental health, which led to rapid and violent escalation of the situation with limited empathy or awareness of his victims.

The report further emphasized Warren-Lean’s extensive offending history and his entrenched attitudes supporting violence and antisocial behavior, suggesting he had become desensitized to such conduct. Despite recognizing the danger he posed, Judge Davey KC decided that a lengthy prison sentence was not necessary. Instead, he sentenced Warren-Lean to seven years in prison, with the expectation that he would serve two-thirds of that term before being eligible for release on license. Additionally, the court imposed an indefinite exclusion order to prevent him from returning to Radnor Place in Plympton.

In conclusion, Warren-Lean’s actions on that night resulted in a significant custodial sentence, reflecting the seriousness of his assault on police officers and the police dog, as well as his long-standing pattern of violent behavior and mental health issues.