A MAN who punched a police officer in the groin after a “mad Friday” pub brawl has been spared jail.

Scott Wheeldon, 43, had been arrested following an incident in the Sun Inn in Shipley on December 21. He had broken a window in the pub during a mass affray, and was taken to Trafalgar House Police Station.

While he was being spoken to by officers he calmly took off his jacket before punching a PC Ahmed in the groin.

He was then restrained by officers and a PAVA spray was used to subdue him.

At Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court on Friday he pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assault of an emergency worker.

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The court heard he had been out shopping for Christmas presents before popping into the pub for a few drinks.

It was "mad Friday" - the last Friday before Christmas when pubs are often at their busiest, and the Court was told that Wheeldon was just one of several people who had been involved in the incident in the pub.

While being taken to the station in the police car he had been "stewing over" the fact police wouldn't let him back into the pub to collect his Christmas presents.

District Judge Richard Clews told Wheeldon, of Yew Tree Close, Shipley that attacks on police and other emergency workers was taken seriously.

He said; "Offences of this kind are now taken more seriously than they used to be. People risk being sent to prison if they do it.

"There was no need for you to behave like this. You punched him out of the blue.

"In this case I don't think it is necessary to send you to prison, but that risk will increase if you do anything like this again."

He was given a 12 month community order, including 120 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay £100 compensation.