AN ALCOHOLIC who repeatedly attacked emergency services workers has been jailed.

Howard Russell, of Langley Road, Abingdon, had been given an antisocial behaviour order in 2010 banning him from drinking or being drunk in public.

It also barred him from behaving in an “aggressive, intimidating or threatening manner” towards emergency services personnel following a series of incidents.

But since then the 58-year-old has repeatedly breached the order, most recently on December 12. Russell was handed an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, just two days earlier at Oxford Crown Court.

Prosecutor Rhiannon Sadler said that within 48 hours a charity collector called at his house and found him covered in blood and threatening to kill himself.

Police who responded were abused and attacked by Russell when they wouldn’t let him buy more alcohol.

He kicked Pc Christopher Bennett, while hurling abuse at him and a colleague, and was arrested.

Miss Sadler said he told officers the abuse was just “his way of being affectionate”.

Jane Malcolm, defending, said he had got into a cycle of sobering up in prison, allowing himself one drink on release and was then unable to stop.

She said: “He doesn’t set out to drink in public, he doesn’t set out to abuse emergency services workers.

“But what will inevitably happen again is he will do well in prison and sober up, he will then be released and the cycle will begin again.”

Miss Malcolm argued that he should instead be given alcohol rehabilitation treatment.

But yesterday Judge Gordon Risius said he had given Russell a chance to clean up his act in December.

He said: “Last year the probation services told me you were attempting at long last to address your drinking. I decided to impose a sentence of 18 months imprisonment.

“But I suspended it for two years with requirements for supervision and alcohol treatment, to give you a chance to prove that you were serious about getting to grips with your alcohol problem.

“I also made it clear what the outcome would be if you did not comply.”

He activated the 18-month suspended sentence in full, gave Russell eight months for the Asbo breach and two months for the assault, all to run at the same time. Russell admitted all three charges.