A DRUG dealer who head-butted a policeman in a drunken assault has walked free from court.

Ricky Rogers was on a suspended sentence for peddling cocaine and ecstasy in London when he came for a night out in Swindon.

And having been turfed out of Old Town’s The Tree nightclub in the early hours the morning the 26-year-old launched a violent attack on the officer.

After being put in leg restraints because of the way he was reacting he head-butted the officer causing his head to smash against the metal cage in the police van.

But after hearing the personal trainer may lose his clients if he were jailed a judge decided it would be unjust to activate the sentence, so allowed it to continue.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that police were called to Hoopers Place on Sunday July 29 by bouncers.

As they detained him he started to resist, tensing his legs and struggling, and had to have leg restraints fitted.

She said he kept shouting he couldn’t breath and was rolled over, but officers still had great difficulty keeping hold of him.

“He did appear to calm down and he was walked to the van. Once in the van he jumped up on to his legs. He was screaming,” she said.

“He was resisting getting in to the van. PC Ben Moore was attempting to get him in. He leaned forward and he head butted PC Moore to the side of the head.

“It was with considerable force for Mr Moore’s head to snap back and hit the metal cage on the side of the van.”

Although the impact caused great pain to both sides of his head she said there was no long-term injury.

She said officers had to use parva spray on the defendant to calm him before he was ferried to the police station.

In a victim personal statement the officer said that he had been assaulted before but did not think it was ‘part of the job’.

Rogers, of Mill Hill East, London, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly.

The court heard that in December he got 21 months suspended for two years at Harrow Crown Court for possessing cocaine ecstasy with intent on supply.

Probation officer Claire Hyde, giving an oral report, said he was in Swindon as his partner’s nephew was opening a barber shop that weekend.

She said he told her he was Type 1 diabetic and his medication may have reacted with the alcohol he drank.

John Upton, defending, said his client had completed the 150 hours of unpaid work he was sentenced to and tried to disassociate with people involved in drugs.

Passing sentence Judge Robert Pawson ordered he do 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 compensation to the officer adding he would not impose a curfew in case it affected his work.