A POLICE officer's career appears to be over following his conviction for assaulting a constable attending a house over an early hours' noise complaint.

PC Richard Lee Grayson, 35, denied a charge of assaulting PC Dennis Thompson, causing him actual bodily harm, during the incident in the back yard of a house in Murton, east Durham.

Although off-duty at the time, Grayson told Durham Crown Court he stepped in to try to calm the situation when PC Thompson and a colleague called at the house in Doxford Terrace South, after a neighbour complained of loud music, shortly before 5am on Good Friday, last April.

One of the officers was about to arrest the householder for a breach of the peace when Grayson intervened. He was said to have repeatedly punched PC Thompson, causing him a number of abrasions and a neck injury for which he remains off work.

PC Thompson told the court he struck Grayson over the head with his extendable baton in an attempt to restrain him.

Grayson claimed the officers mishandled the situation and were over zealous.

But, after a nine-day trial, he was yesterday convicted by a unanimous jury verdict.

After the verdict was returned, prosecuting barrister Euan Duff told the court that Grayson had a previous conviction for dangerous driving and failing to stop, from a police pursuit of his motorbike, in Northumberland, in 1998, for which he was fined £800.

Defence barrister Tim Gittins told Judge Denis Orde: "Your honour knows the inevitable consequences. This will be an end to his career."

Judge Orde agreed to a request by Mr Gittins for sentence to be adjourned pending preparation of reports by the Probation Service on Grayson, who was bailed to return in three weeks.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said last night: "He Grayson remains suspended until sentencing, after which we will consider what disciplinart action will follow."