A drunk Ipswich man who assaulted two police officers who pulled him off the bonnet of a reversing police car for his own safety has been given a conditional discharge.

Andrew Tomkins was a passenger in a car driven by a man suspected by police of drink driving, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The officers tried to remove the car keys and had asked Tomkins to get out of the car for a drugs test which turned out to be negative.

At one stage Tomkins had walked over the bonnet of a police car while it was reversing and he had made contact with a woman police officer and a male officer as they tried to pull him off the car for his own safety, said Sheilagh Davies prosecuting.

Neither of the officers suffered any injury as a result of the incident.

Tomkins, 48, of Burrell Road, Ipswich, admitted two offences of assaulting an emergency worker by beating on September 19 last year.

He was given a conditional discharge for 18 months for both offences.

Peter Spary for Tomkins said his client had a fish hook in his foot and had struggled to get out of the car when asked to do so by the police officers.

He said the assaults on the officers were minor.

He said the case could have been heard in the magistrates’ court but Tomkins had elected crown court trial.