Man charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer following incident in Gloucester

A 39-year-old man has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer with intent to resist or prevent arrest.

Justin Francis, of Chequers Road, Gloucester was charged overnight in connection with an incident on Silverstone Walk, Gloucester at around 4.40pm on Wednesday (17 September) which resulted in a police officer sustaining a gunshot wound to the leg.

Francis has also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

The conspiracy to commit robbery charge relates to an incident on Valley Gardens in Kingsway at around 4.20pm on Wednesday in which a taxi driver was alleged to be held at knife point by two people who then made off with cash and jewellery. The victim, a man aged in his 40s, was physically unharmed.

Two other people, Wayne Vaughan, aged 37 and of Silverstone Walk, Gloucester, and Tiffany Davies, aged 35 and of no fixed address, have also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.

All three currently remain in police custody pending an appearance at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court today (Friday 19 September).

Superintendent Mark Chicken “The thoughts of everyone at the Constabulary remain with the injured officer as he continues to receive treatment in hospital.

“I’d like to thank the local community for their understanding yesterday and for the many well wishes received for the injured officer.

“What happened on Silverstone Walk on Wednesday was an extremely rare event in Gloucestershire and we recognise it may cause some alarm in the community.

“Neighbourhood officers will continue to carry out patrols to provide reassurance to people and I’d encourage anyone with concerns to speak to them.”

We continue to liaise with the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Health and Safety Executive in relation to the incident on Silverstone Walk.

Criminal proceedings are now active against those charged and we’d like to remind people there must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that may in any way prejudice these proceedings.