A NEWTOWN man who threatened to knock a community police officer’s hat off has been told a court order is his ‘final chance’.

Ricki Kirkham, 39 and of Wesley Street, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker on September 16 this year.

He also pleaded guilty to a further charge of being drunk and disorderly on the same date.

READ MORE: Powys man Ricki Kirkham jailed for emergency worker assault

According to prosecutor Helen Tench, Kirkham approached Police Community Support Officer Lewis in Severn Street at around 4.20pm on the date in question.

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Mrs Tench said he repeatedly tried to flick the officer’s hat off and was asked to leave her alone, which he did, only to return and verbally abuse her.

She added that he then ‘used his belly’ to move towards a shop window where she could not get away and was left fearing for her safety.

She radioed for support and PC Renshaw, who had witnessed Kirkham goading his colleague but continued his patrol when the defendant walked away, then came to her aid and arrested him.

But as he was being taken into the waiting van, Kirkham kicked the officer in his leg and was shouting ‘I will kill you all’.

Owain Jones, defending Kirkham, told the court that his client – who was jailed in August for a similar offence – was ‘going through a bad time’.

He said that he was grieving the loss of his brother and on that day, he had been goaded about this on the day which resulted in him drinking.

Mr Jones said his client had shown remorse ‘through his early guilty plea’ and that he needed support from probation.

Chairman of the bench Stephen Pembroke heard from the probation service that after his release in August, Kirkham has been working well and meeting his appointments.

They added that he had also met with his GP about his medication and building a routine.

Mr Pembroke told the defendant that he and his fellow Magistrates would be exercising the recommendations of probation in giving him a 12-month community order with conditions for the two counts.

He said: “This is serious and you have been in prison for this before.

“Probation is trying to work with you and it is working so we don’t wish to mess that up by sending you to custody.

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“Look upon this as your final chance as we really could have said this was your final chance.”

Kirkham was also given a 90-day curfew – lifted up from 45 because he attacked emergency workers – which will align with his alcohol abstinence monitoring order.

There was no separate penalty for drunk and disorderly.