Kirkby man headbutted cop because he thought he was picking on him
A Kirkby man headbutted a police officer who had arrested him a number of times previously because he thought he was being picked on, a court has heard.
Dale Vardy began shouting abuse and called the officer a "nonce" and a "paedophile" as he was being arrested and handcuffed on May 8, said prosecutor Adeel Zafar.
He headbutted the officer to the right side of his face, causing a visible injury, and continued ranting towards the officer and his family.
Vardy claimed he couldn't remember what happened because he was slammed into the floor and this affected his memory.
But the court heard Vardy was only taken to the floor after he headbutted the officer.
When he was interviewed, Vardy, 43, said: "If I could have caught him with a headbutt, I'm not going to lie, I would. If I swung my head at him my intention was clear."
He has 29 previous convictions for 62 offences, including assaulting an emergency worker and battery from June 2021.
He was last in trouble in March 2022 when he was jailed after breaching a restraining order four times.
Amy Godson, mitigating, said Vardy suffers from mental health problems and has been arrested four or five times by the same officer with no further action being taken.
"He felt he was being picked on by this officer," she said. "He says, ‘I had a drink and I accept that it had an effect on my behaviour’. You will see he has managed to stay out of trouble for some time."
The court heard he breached the restraining order four times because he was homeless and sleeping in his mum's shed.
"He is trying to turn his life around," Ms Godson said. "He has been offered a job fitting solar panels subject to the outcome of today."
Vardy, aged 43, of Diamond Avenue, admitted assaulting an emergency worker and making threats when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
"This was a particularly distasteful attack," the presiding magistrate told him. "You can't pick and choose your PCs and that's not a reason for having a go and disliking him."
He received a ten week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to pay £154 surcharge and £85 costs.