A BASINGSTOKE man has been jailed 20 months for assaulting police officers with a set of handcuffs.

Kyle Butler, of Fylingdales Close, Buckskin, attacked two female officers during an incident in the early hours of August 3 this year, Winchester Crown Court heard.

Butler, 20, was in the dock for sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer, affray and breach of a suspended sentence.

The officers were responding to an emergency call at a house in Fylingdales Close, and tried to reason with Butler, who was seen in the street waving his arms and threatening violence.

The court heard when they tried to cuff him, he became irate and attacked both officers using the handcuffs. He was finally detained by a male officer.

Judge Keith Cutler jailed Butler for 20 months, describing the attack as horrendous. He ordered Butler to pay £200 compensation to the two officers involved.

After the hearing, Chief Inspector Simon Dodds said: “Across the country, police officers work extremely hard to keep their local communities safe.

“They come to work knowing that their job has an element of risk, as part of their duty to protect the public.

“However assaulting an officer must never be seen as just part of the job. It is unacceptable, and I am pleased that the courts have recognised the seriousness of this offence.”

John Apter, chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation, welcomed the sentence.