A SWINDON man who assaulted six police officers has been spared an immediate jail term.

Lawrence O’Riordan, 26, of Eastbury Way, Redhouse, was arrested after police were called to South Marston Hotel at about 1am on Sunday following a report of a disorder.

He was later charged with six counts of assaulting police officers, possession of class-A drugs, causing criminal damage, a Section 5 Public Order offence and common assault.

He appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to all 10 offences.

O’Riordan received a six-week jail term, suspended for 18 months, an order to complete a 20-day rehabilitation programme and an order to complete a 25-day Resolve programme.

He must also pay £50 compensation to each officer he assaulted, plus a victim surcharge of £80, CPS costs of £85 and £180 to the criminal courts.

It is understood that none of the officers was seriously hurt.

Mike White, chairman of the Wiltshire Police Federation, said: “Unfortunately it appears over the last few years it has become an almost expected part of the job for officers to get assaulted, and we are saying it is never acceptable. Assaults on police officers should be dealt with the same way as assaults on anybody else.

“What we have here is someone who has been convicted of a number of offences including assaulting six police officers, and he walks away with a rehabilitation order, so we are questioning the severity of sentencing here.

“Thankfully in this instance there were enough resources to deal with the situation, but if this had happened at a wedding reception out at a rural country hotel, it would have taken a lot longer to respond.

“We are now supportive of the need for body-worn cameras in terms of the quality of the evidence that can be received towards a successful prosecution.”