A MAN attacked and racially abused a police officer who was left needing hospital treatment after being headbutted, a court heard.

PC Hassan Mohammed was one of two officers confronted by Wesley Isbell during an incident in Brandforth Gardens, Westhoughton, on January 25 this year.

At Bolton Crown Court sitting at Bolton Stadium, Adam Lodge, prosecuting, described how the officers arrived at the scene just before 9am after Isbell, 25, had attacked delivery driver Saad Butt before also setting his van on fire.

Mr Butt was delivering a parcel when Isbell ran towards him and punched him in the face before trying to strangle him while repeatedly shouting racist abuse.

Isbell then broke off the van’s mirror and smashed a window while Mr Butt escaped before getting some olive oil from inside and using it to set fire to the vehicle.

One neighbour who witnessed the incident and called the police said Isbell shouted at her: “What’s up? Have you never seen a P*** get battered?”

When the officers arrived, Isbell emerged from an alleyway and was immediately “aggressive and abusive”.

“Despite the low temperatures with snow on the ground he started to remove his clothing, threw his belongings around, threatened to spit in the officer’s face and despite repeated requests by the officers to place his hands on his head he remained uncooperative,” said Mr Lodge.

The officers deployed a Taser twice and Isbell, of Queen Street, Little Hulton, was restrained but as they moved him to the van he headbutted PC Hassan fracturing his nose.

Once in the van Isbell, who Mr Lodge had previous convictions for assaulting police officers, continued to shout racist abuse and said to one female officer that he was going to rape her and her children.

Defending Isbell, who pleaded guilty to two counts of racially aggravated actual bodily harm, criminal damage and arson to a transit van and using threatening behaviour, James Preece, said the defendant suffered from “significant mental health difficulties” and had no memory of the incident.

Passing sentence, Judge Graeme Smith, said: “This was a completely outrageous and inexplicable incident, but it is clear you are taking very positive steps to turn your life around.”

He handed Isbell, who had already spent five months in custody, a 24 month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Isbell will also have to complete 20 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement, an alcohol abstinence programme and will be the subject of a four month curfew between 9pm to 7am.