A drunk who spat at a police officer before grabbing his crotch while handcuffed has been jailed.

Hassan Raman, who admitted to the courts he has a drink problem, was causing issues in The Mall, Blackburn, last February, when the police were called.

Preston Crown Court heard how Raman, 31, was told to move on, but police received further calls of him causing problems elsewhere in the town.

As officers went to arrest him, he spat in the direction of one of the officers and was cuffed and placed in the back of a van.

It was while in the van with his hands behind his back that Raman tried to grab the crotch of the same officer.

Despite the spit not landing, and the officer being left unhurt by the incident, Raman, of Logwood Street, Blackburn was arrested for assaulting an emergency worker.

He denied the matters and took the case to trial but was convicted by a jury after they saw body worn evidence from the officers which proved his wrongdoing.

Prosecuting, David Clarke told the court the officer involved felt “violated” by Raman’s actions and as a consequence it had affected his ability to continue with his duties.

Raman, who has 32 convictions for 48 previous offences and served a lengthy spell in jail in 2017 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, was jailed for six months.

Upon his release he will be subject to post sentence supervision for a further six months.

District Judge Richard Clews said: “Get a grip of yourself to make sure you don’t find yourself  in this situation again.”