A MUD-COVERED man who caused a disturbance outside his father’s house on Christmas Day morning attempted to headbutt a police officer.

Fifty-year-old Antony Kirkwood became aggressive after his father told the police he did not want his son – at that time under the influence of drugs and alcohol – to be in his house on Haig Road, Carlisle.

At a later court hearing, Kirkwood, of Grasmere Street, Carlisle, admitted assaulting an emergency worker, the female police officer who was trying to help him.

Prosecutor George Shelley outlined the facts.

He said the police were called out to the street involved after there were reports of a man shouting and knocking on house windows at 3.10am on December 25.

This had been going on for around 30 minutes.

“The defendant was found outside, covered in mud, with no shoes on,” said Mr Shelley. “The [house occupant] identified the male as his son Anthony Kirkwood, who entered the house and went into the living room, while covered in mud.

“The father said he didn’t want him to stay and asked for him to be taken to his home address. The police told the defendant that he would be taken home because he was not wanted at that address, but he became aggressive.”

The defendant then told the police officer he could headbutt her before attempting – but failing – to do exactly that. The officer was able to dodge the blow.

Due to his behaviour, Kirkwood was handcuffed. The court heard that he had 42 offences on his record, including eight crimes of violence. In a statement, the officer said she had tried her best to reason with the defendant.

She did not expect while at work to be subjected to any kind of assault, she said.

Defence lawyer Chris Toms said he had ordered a psychiatric report on Kirkwood after noticing that he found it difficult to focus on information. The assault offence on Christmas Day had been borne out of intoxication, said the lawyer.

Mr Toms said of Kirkwood: “He’s not a young man and he does suffer from confused and inappropriate strategies for dealing with problems. If he feels under threat, he panics and reacts in the way he did.”

There was an underlying psychiatric condition, said Mr Toms.

District Judge John Temperley remarked that the primary cause of the assault had been “voluntary drug and alcohol intoxication.”

The judge added: “That being said, in considering mitigation, your reckless and impulsive behaviour and violent conduct might well be related to… antisocial personality disorder.”

But using drugs such as cannabis and alcohol poured petrol on the flames, pointed out the judge.

Imposing a 12-week jail term, suspended for a year, the District Judge told Kirkwood: “You personally were to blame for being intoxicated on a voluntary basis that night, such that you behaved in the way you did.

“There is an underlying personality disorder which causes aggression and affected your behaviour, which could have caused significant injury. Thankfully, she got out of the way.”

The sentence includes ten days of rehabilitation. Kirkwood must also pay the officer he tried to headbutt compensation of £200. There was no order for prosecution costs and no victim surcharged imposed.