A YOUNG man who racially abused a police officer and made threats with a knife has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard today (Wednesday, September 24) that officers visited Anthony Kirsopp’s Crook home on August 2 to speak to him about an assault they thought he had been the victim of.

Prosecutor Brian Payne said officers described 20-year-old Kirsopp as being very drunk and abusive towards them when they arrived.

After the officers left, they were called back to the house on Newlands View by a neighbour who reported lots of noise coming from Kirsopp’s home.

When officers arrived they found the windows open and music blaring.

Kirsopp was holding a knife, which he used to cut his forearms, and he made threats and racially insulted a police officer.

He was arrested and in court Kirsopp pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour, using racially aggravated words and committing an offence whilst under a conditional discharge order.

Mr Payne told the court that two weeks after those incidents, Kirsopp was drunk again when officers received a call from a member of his family to say that he was suicidal.

Again Kirsopp verbally abused the attending officers, as well as damaging a window frame at his home and kicking a sergeant in the stomach.

He pleaded guilty in court to being drunk and disorderly, criminal damage and assaulting a constable.

No mitigation was offered in court, but after reading a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service, District Judge Martin Walker sentenced Kirsopp to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12-months.

He also imposed 12-months supervision with alcohol treatment sessions and ordered Kirsopp to pay £50 each to the two officers affected by the incident.