Mansfield pig farmer ditched bags of cocaine and assaulted cop as he tried to flee Rush night club
A Mansfield pig farmer who ditched bags of cocaine and assaulted a police officer as he tried to escape from a night club has been fined.
James Richards was spotted dropping a bag of white powder by doormen in Rush, on Clumber Street, at 1.20am on December 15 last year, Nottingham Crown Court was told.
When police escorted him outside he tried to make off and threw a small yellow item into a car park.
He forcefully shoulder-barged one of the officers and knocked him to the floor, inflicting pain on his hands and knees.
Richards, aged 29, was eventually arrested and three packets of cocaine were found in a search.
The court heard he has five previous convictions for seven offences.
He is currently serving a two-year suspended sentence for possessing cocaine with intent to supply which was imposed at Nottingham Crown Court in February last year.
Amelia Trem, mitigating, conceded his response to the order has “not been perfect” but said he deserved credit for his prompt guilt pleas.
She said he has struggled with his mental health for “a significant proportion of his life” and has been diagnosed with epilepsy, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
She said the symptoms were “no doubt amplified by drink and occasional drug misuse” but he was still dealing with the impact of losing his brother to suicide as a teenager.
"He is trying his best to improve his lot in life,” Ms Trem said, adding that the “stability and routine” of working on a farm for four years "clears his head” and has enabled him to “get his life back on track.”
Since his arrest in December Richards has been abstinent from drink and drugs, she added.
He has been in a stable and supportive relationship for over a year and he is due to return to work next month after sustaining a wrist injury.
Richards, also known as Fells, of Harrop White Road, Mansfield, admitted possessing cocaine and assaulting a police officer when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court on December 15.
On Wednesday he received a £740 fine for the new offences and for breaching the suspended sentence.