A police officer was today jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of assaulting his estranged wife in a jealous rage, and then attempting to pervert the cause of justice.

Andrew Hudson-Smith, 37, a former Bradford city centre beat constable, broke down in the dock as sentenced was passed.

He was convicted by a Leeds Crown Court jury of assault causing actual bodily harm, perverting the course of justice, intimidating a witness, and illegally procuring personal data from the Police National Computer.

Members of his family who were in the public gallery, also wept as the sentence was read out.

His wife, Susan Hudson-Smith, who attended the trial to give evidence, was not in court to hear the verdict.

The court had heard how Hudson-Smith had burst into the home of his estranged wife after discovering she had been seeing another man. He punched her in the stomach and tried to hit her with a bottle.

Passing sentencing Judge Michael Lightfoot, told Hudson-Smith, of Bracken Grove, Mirfield, his defence had been a "total hypocrisy from start to finish".

He said: "Had you had the courage to have admitted what you had done from the beginning, one could have understanding. But your conduct has been a betrayal of your standing in the community as a police officer."

Judge Lightfoot added he was aware of the difficulties any police officer would face in serving a prison sentence, and said he had made it as short a punishment as the law allowed.

He sentenced Hudson-Smith to 18 months, but told him he would more than likely only serve nine.

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