A FORMER teacher who stole £8,000 from a local history group to fund his alcohol addiction has been jailed today for assaulting a police officer by throwing a bottle of wine at him.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Daniel Moorhouse, 41, had also threatened staff at Airedale General Hospital, and damaged a taxi by cracking its windscreen.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Moorhouse was a "fighting, aggressive, and nasty man" when drunk, adding he had "rebuffed" numerous offers of help.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson told the court that on March 3, Moorhouse had telephoned police from his home at Low Laithe Fold, Laycock, Keighley, threatening to harm himself with a knife.

When officers attended, they found Moorhouse in a "very intoxicated" state sat in his kitchen, at which point he started swearing at them.

He then picked up and threw three wine bottles, including one in the direction of PC Roy Whiting.

In two separate incidents, Moorhouse was said to have acted in an aggressive manner to staff at Airedale General Hospital after they tried to prevent him entering the high-dependency unit.

He also caused damage to a Speedline Taxi, after the driver refused to let him smoke a cigarette in the vehicle.

Mr Nicholson said Moorhouse punched the door and kicked the windscreen, causing a 50cm crack.

His defence barrister, Stephen Wood, said Moorhouse had apologised profusely to the taxi driver, hugging him and even breaking down in tears as police arrived at the scene.

Mr Wood added that Moorhouse's offending had "one very obvious cause."

"His drinking has got out of control," he said.

"He needs help to deliver him back to the useful, decent member of society he once was."

Moorhouse had been treasurer of the Keighley and District Local History Society when he stole the money, given to the group by the Heritage Lottery Fund, between February and May 2013.

The grant had been earmarked to investigate the history of the town's old police station in North Street, but Moorhouse transferred the money to his personal account and used it to fund his drinking.

Andy Wade, chairman of the society at the time of the thefts, described Moorhouse’s actions in stealing from the society as "the lowest of the low."

In June last year, he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, for five charges of theft and one charge of forging a cheque, also receiving 180 hours of unpaid work and a four-month curfew with an electronic tag.

He was also ordered to repay the money in full or face being recalled to court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Moorhouse, a former history teacher, had worked as a humanities and ICT consultant for schools within the Bradford district.

Sentencing him to 17 months in prison, Judge Rose said: "I see somebody who was once a model member of society. A teacher with great ability.

"But I also see another man, a man who drinks until he is insensible, who in that state is a threat to public workers in hospitals, police officers, and taxi drivers.

"I gave you a chance, and you didn't take it.

"You have rebuffed offers of help, and offended against people who have every reason to be scared of you.

"In-drink, you are a fighting, aggressive, and nasty man."

Moorhouse was given 12 months for breaching his suspended sentence, four months for assault and using threatening behaviour, and one month for criminal damage.