A would-be bicycle thief who tried to bite and spat in the face of a police officer on a south Belfast street has been jailed for four months.
Taylor Sederquest lashed out after being detained and then urged an associate to kick the PSNI sergeant in the head.
A judge was told that the 23-year-old addict was “completely out of it” when he launched the attack last month in front of onlookers.
Sederquest, of Dismas House Hostel on Ormeau Road in the city, pleaded guilty to attempted theft, assault on police, disorderly behaviour and resisting police.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard CCTV operators identified him trying to steal a bicycle at Botanic Avenue on February 3.
He was detained at the scene but became violent amid efforts to put him into a police vehicle.
Prosecutors said Sederquest tried to bite a PSNI sergeant’s ear and spat on his face during an initial outburst.
As police requested assistance the defendant lashed out again after being taken to the ground, making a further attempt to headbutt the victim.
“He was shouting at his friend to ‘kick that c*** in the head’,” a Crown lawyer said.
“Members of the public were watching the incident and subjected to all of this.”
Sederquest’s legal representative told the court he has long-term addiction issues.
“He was completely out of it when he was standing around the bike,” the solicitor submitted.
The court heard Sederquest has been recalled to prison since the incident.
Sentencing him to four months immediate custody, District Judge Anne Marshall told him: “You lasted such a short time in the community, these offences are dreadful.”