A MAN headbutted one police officer and kicked and bit another officer on Christmas Eve last year, a court heard.

Luke James Dransfield, aged 26, of Ranelagh Road, Weymouth, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating an emergency worker at Weymouth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 11.

Prosecuting, Ben Worthington, told the court that police officers, PC Hall and PC Turner, were responding to an incident in Weymouth on December 24, 2021, which caused them to have to detain Dransfield.

Dransfield was said to appear calm at first before things 'took a turn for the worst'.

It was heard that PC Hall got into the back of the police vehicle with Dransfield and tried to calm him down when the defendant headbutted the officer.

PC Turner then came to the aid of PC Hall but Dransfield 'kicked out', striking PC Turner in the shin.

Mr Worthington said that the defendant, who was intoxicated at the time, then bit PC Turner's right forearm. As a result, PC Turner attended hospital for a 'burning sensation' to his arm.

The court heard that Dransfield had previously gone to prison in 2018 for assault matters and is now subject to a suspended sentence order from the crown court in relation to the possession with intent to supply cannabis and was on bail for this offence at the time the assault offences took place on Christmas Eve.

A photo showing the bruising on PC Turner's arm caused by the bite from Dransfield was shown to the court.

Mitigating, Kenny Sharpe, said that at the time he had been sent from the magistrates court to a crown court to be sentenced for the possession with intent to supply a 'significant amount' of cannabis.

He told the court that as a result, the defendant thought this might be his last Christmas for a while before that sentence.

Mr Sharpe said: "He was arrested on Christmas Eve.

"It slowly begins to dawn on him that Christmas was ruined.

"He can't excuse what he did. What he can do is offer an apology and expression of remorse."

Mr Sharpe said that this was the defendant's first offence against the police and that the bite to PC Turner was made following a strike from the officer to Dransfield's face.

Chair of the bench, Sandra Wayman, gave Dransfield a total of 16 weeks in custody suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to PC Hall and £150 to PC Turner.