A binman who punched and head-butted two police officers and racially abused one has been sentenced to a year in prison. Lee Shuttleworth, 37, of Quainton Street, Neasden, was sentenced on Tuesday for common assault on two PCs and using racially aggrava

A binman who punched and head-butted two police officers and racially abused one has been sentenced to a year in prison.

Lee Shuttleworth, 37, of Quainton Street, Neasden, was sentenced on Tuesday for common assault on two PCs and using racially aggravated threatening words against one of them.

Prosecuting, Darryn Rollinson, said PCs Gardev Singh and Christopher Forster had been in the process of arresting the defendant for an alleged assault on his former partner.

Mr Rollinson said: "There were three punches to the face and head area of PC Singh."

He then made a number of abusive racist comments to the Asian officer.

The barrister said that when PC Forster had tackled the defendant he had hit him with a 'backwards head-butt'.

Defending, Andrew Collins, handed a letter from his client to the judge and said the defendant now appreciated that he did not think about the consequences of his actions.

Mr Collins said: "He thinks it is very unlikely on his release that he will be able to find work again through that organisation."

Judge Patricia Dangor heard that Shuttleworth had a 'volatile' relationship with his former partner Allison Halliday who had called the police on July 30 2008, after they had had an argument.

Sentencing at Harrow Crown Court, Judge Dangor said there were aggravating factors as the defendant had continued to deny the charges and had a previous conviction for assault.

She said: "You blamed Allison Halliday for calling the police. Then blamed the police for 'setting you up'.

"What you have written to me is again trying to wriggle out of the offences of which the jury found you guilty."

She sentenced him to three months each for two counts of assault and six months for using racially aggravated threatening words to run consecutively.