A DRUNKEN student kneed a police officer in the face and swung a punch at him after threatening hospital staff during an attack branded “disgraceful” by a senior judge.

Christopher O’Doherty, a student at the University of Worcester, kneed PC Dan Smart in the face during the incident at Worcestershire Royal Hospital’s A&E department. O’Doherty, aged 22, of Vesta Tilley halls of residence in Henwick Grove, Worcester, admitted assaulting a constable of West Mercia Police in the execution of his duties when he appeared before district judge Nigel Cadbury at Worcester Magistrates Court.

The court was told how PC Smart attended the hospital on March 24 at about 9.30pm, after reports of a man being aggressive and threatening towards staff.

Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said he was “agitated and swearing and saying he wanted to leave” before he had been examined to make sure he was all right.

Miss Lovegrove said: “He was drunk, agitated, swearing profusely and pacing up and down. He continued to swear inside the hospital where sick and injured people were being treated.”

When PC Smart arrived, O’Doherty swung a punch at him, which the officer managed to block.

She added: “While he was being restrained he kneed him to the face. “He connected with the left-hand side of his face around his cheek and eye area. PC Smart felt immediate pain.”

Officers restrained O’Doherty and managed to take him to the police station. The officer suffered injuries, including bruising and swelling to the left hand side of his face, the cheek and eye area, which caused him pain and discomfort, the court was told.

Sunil Jagatia, defending, asked the judge to give O’Doherty credit for his early guilty plea. He said: “He doesn’t remember the incident in relation to the assault or being restrained.” Mr Jagatia said he co-operated fully with custody staff and, when told of the circumstances, asked to speak to PC Smart to apologise but was told he had gone off duty.

District judge Nigel Cadbury, passing sentence, said it was ‘a serious incident’ and that using the knee was as bad as using a head-butt or a weapon. He said: “You clearly had got yourself into a very bad state either by drink or drugs or a combination of both, behaving in a most disgraceful way to the staff in the hospital and then to the police who had to attend because of your behaviour when clearly you need to be checked out. There are those of the general public who think if somebody behaves like that they don’t deserve to be treated by the National Health Service. It doesn’t matter that you’re a student at university. That’s no mitigation at all.”

He imposed a curfew between 9pm and 7am daily on the graphic design and multi-media student which will be monitored by electronic tag for 16 weeks.

Mr Cadbury said: “You’re going to be able to get on with your studying and should get on rather well considering you’re not going to be going out for 16 weeks.“ He ordered O’Doherty to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £150 compensation to the officer.