ARRESTED for a crime he did not commit, an Ilminster man lashed out at the police injuring one of the officers and threatened to “put a bullet” through his head.

Luke Spooner because aggressive towards the officers when they came to his home to arrest him, threatening to set his dog upon them.

When taken to a caged vehicle he kneed one of the officers in the thigh, headbutted the rear door and dug his nails into the victim’s arm drawing blood.

Spooner, 30, of Listers Hill, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, namely a police constable, acting in the exercise of his functions as such a worker at Ilminster on July 21 when he appeared in court at Yeovil.

Prosecutor Ann Ellery said that in the early hours of the morning the police went to the defendant’s home to arrest him for an unrelated matter, but he became aggressive and threatened to set his dog on them.

“He was taken to the rear of the police vehicle and headbutted the door and then kneed one of the constables in the upper leg,” she said.

“The abuse continued, and Spooner then dug his nails into the officer’s hand, drawing blood and the victim had to punch him to get him to release his grip.”

During the journey to the police station, the court was told that Spooner had shouted towards the officer: “You’ll get a bullet through your head” and there was also a physical altercation inside the vehicle.

Defending solicitor Sam White said his client had been arrested for a completely separate matter which was not proceeded with, saying he was aggrieved because he had done nothing wrong.

“However he knows that he went too far and accepts that his actions were abhorrent and below the standard of behaviour he should have engaged in,” he said.

“He kneed the officer, headbutted the cage in the vehicle and the officer received the injury while trying to prevent Spooner from harming himself.

“However he does accept digging his nails into the officer’s arm because he felt he was being wrongly arrested.”

District Judge Angela Brereton told Spooner: “It was a nasty incident for the officer to have been subjected to and you kept on to him, eventually causing him injury.”

She fined him £200 with an £80 victim surcharge and £40 costs and ordered him to pay £125 compensation to the victim.