Sambuca shots-spree sparked three assaults in Mansfield

Police were called when Karl France shoved a worker at the bus station and he was stopped on West Gate by two constables, on April 28.

He swore at the officers then lashed out and hit one, said Ruth Snodin, prosecuting. He kicked out as he was being arrested and spat at the other, hitting him in the face with saliva.

France, 41, of Willowbridge Lane, Sutton, admitted assault and two counts of assaulting a constable when he appeared before magistrates in Mansfield, on Wednesday.

David Grant, mitigating, said France, who had no previous convictions, had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act until November, 2015, when he went into residential care, where he received “one-to-one supervision for 15 hours a day.”

“He goes out and has a couple of pints with no further difficulties,” said Mr Grant.

“On this occasion it all went wrong.”

Magistrates warned France to behave himself in future, and gave him a 12 month conditional discharge.

He was ordered to pay £150 compensation to the constable he punched, and £50 each to the officer he spat at and the worker he shoved. He must also pay £85 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge.