Jury told of chaos after 'man who looked like Coolio' stabbed police officer in Portsmouth park

Crowds gathered as PC Russell Turner lay on the floor near Hastings House near Stamshaw Adventure Playground after he was stabbed on February 21 at around 12.15pm.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how ‘a number of children’ were present as it was half term and they were told to move to allow an ambulance in.

The playground went into ‘lockdown’ in the aftermath of the stabbing, the court heard.

PC Marilyn Oliver was first on scene to the Stamshaw Park attack after she heard PC Turner’s colleague PC Clare Parry activate an emergency button on her radio.

‘The scene was quite chaotic,’ she said, and added: ‘The children were being directed to either end of the park to (allow) in the ambulance.

‘PC Turner had two puncture wounds to the area of his back between his shoulder blades, slightly to the right... two inches wide, and a slight wound to one of his fingers.’

Earlier PC Parry, who was involved in the struggle told jurors she thought the knife used looked like a ‘prison shank’.

PC Parry said: ‘It was just the shape of it. All I could think of was “prison shank” that’s what I would describe it as, a prison shank. And predominantly they’re made of anything you can find.

‘It made me think potentially it was cardboard for the handle and the cover, and it’s something you could get away from carrying and nobody would know you’ve got a knife until the last minute.’

Jurors have been told the struggle broke out when PC Turner went to handcuff a suspected drug dealer observed with addicts in Stamshaw Park.

Both PCs Turner and Parry were in plainclothes walking PC Turner’s dog so as not to attract attention.

Mum-of-three Chelsea Bonsor told jurors she was smoking outside the playground her four-year-old was playing in when she saw ‘PC Russ’ being stabbed and was concerned about her older son at home as the knifeman had run in that direction.

Ms Bonsor said at first she thought two men were fighting. ‘I was going to help them apart,’ she said.

Roy Headlam, defending accused Michael Enzanga, said: ‘Are you saying the person looked like Coolio from Gangsta’s Paradise?’

Ms Bonsor said: ‘Yes he did.’

Londoner Enzanga, 20, was arrested shortly after the incident hiding under tarpaulin in a garden in Jervis Road.

Enzanga, who was 19 at the time and is from Ashfield Road in Tottenham, London, denies grievous bodily harm with intent, possessing a knife, possessing criminal property of almost £1,000, and four charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

The drug charges relate to recovered heroin and crack cocaine wraps found on the day of the incident and the day before, both in the park, and both with Enzanga’s DNA on them, prosecutor Dale Sullivan said. The cash was found on February 21.

(Proceeding)