Bricklayer bit cop on the boot while on drunk mission to hurt police

A ‘topless and aggressive’ bricklayer fought three police officers while on drugs and drunk on New Year’s Day.

James Smith, 29, repeatedly spat at them and vowed to have their kids raped, before he was locked in restraints, covered by a spit hood and placed in a police van.

Smith, from Radcliffe in Greater Manchester, bit one officer’s boot during the scuffle.

The bricklayer blamed his behaviour on not being able to take his ADHD medication due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time.

‘I do not come to work and expect to be assaulted,’ said PC Bragg. ‘It was stressful knowing that he may have been contagious at a time when the health of me and my family was one of my primary concerns.

‘The defendant appeared hellbent on hurting us.’

Smith – described by the prosecutor as ‘topless and aggressive’ – fought with police on January 1, 2022, after they were called to his friend’s house where he was found smashing a door, kettle and baby’s bottles.

A child was at the scene.

On the way to the station, Smith passed out because of his inebriated state. Regaining consciousness, he began verbally abusing officers, calling them ‘nonces’ and warning that he would ‘get their families and children raped’.

At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Smith was jailed for 22 months, after admitting to three charges of assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.

Smith also pleaded guilty to unrelated offences of battery upon an ex-girlfriend and criminal damage to her apartment, following a boozy binge that involved 20 cans of lager mixed with cocaine.

One officer who attended the scene said it was his second shift with the Greater Manchester Police, having recently transferred from another force.

Daniel Harman, who represented Smith, said drinking was his ‘major issue’.

‘He can’t regulate his emotions when he’s under drink,’ he said. ‘I’ve told him everyone loves a drink, nobody likes a drunk.’

Harman noted that Smith had sought rehabilitation since 2019 and has been sober for several months.

‘He had a difficult start in life and in 2019 he hit rock bottom when a tragic incident happened involving his daughter,’ he added.

Smith has previous convictions for possessing a knife, violence and other public order offences.

In 2019, he was jailed for 14 months after threatening to ‘f***ing slice’ people with a ‘craft knife’ at a memorial gathering in a pub.

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