A HOUSEBREAKER who spat in the face of a police officer who caught him red-handed burgling a retired woman’s home has been jailed for 16 months.

Danny Victor had downed two litres of vodka when he smashed his way into the address in Castlefields Crescent, Brighouse, at 4am on February 22 when the occupant was on holiday.

A neighbour raised the alarm and the police officer found Victor in the bedroom after he had broken in through the living room window.

Prosecutor Philip Adams told Bradford Crown Court today that Victor had picked up items to burgle from the property. He had cut himself and the bed was soaked in blood.

Victor, 35, of Arnold Road, Rastrick, struggled with the officer and spat in his face as he tried to handcuff him.

The officer punched him in the mouth and when back-up arrived, a spit hood was put over Victor’s head while he was transported to the police station.

The court heard that the officer was left disgusted and offended. The burglary victim, who had lived in the house for 45 years, found it difficult to sleep afterwards and was shaken and insecure in her own home.

She was very distressed by the mess left by Victor that included her duvet being soaked in his blood.

Victor told the police he had drunk two one-litre bottles of vodka and recalled nothing about the burglary.

He pleaded guilty at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court two days’ later to attempting to burgle the house and assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker.

Released on court bail, Victor spat at a second police officer on February 26.

Mr Adams said he was dragged out from a car he was hiding under at 3am following a report of criminal damage at a Chinese takeaway in Brighouse.

As he struggled, swearing at the officers and threatening them, he spat on one’s leg.

The court heard he had downed vodka and taken cannabis and had no memory of the event.

Victor had 25 previous convictions for 42 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, commercial burglary, driving matters and criminal damage.

He admitted the second assault on a police officer and asked for an offence of burgling £1,800 worth of products from a hair salon to be taken into consideration.

Victor’s barrister, Emma Downing, said he had written to the court expressing his deep remorse, shame and disgust.

His grandmother had died suddenly in early February and grief led him to drink heavily and take crack cocaine.

“These are serious and deeply unpleasant offences,” Miss Downing conceded.

Judge Jonathan Rose jailed Victor for 12 months for the house burglary and assault on the officer, and four months to run consecutively for spitting at the second officer.

He told him: “These are vile, disgusting and dangerous offences.”