A homeless Cornish man has been jailed for repeatedly breaking an order not to drink in public.

Ross Vicars became abusive to police when they were trying to deal with a medical emergency in a car park in Truro and went on to assault two officers in a second confrontation in Liskeard.

He has a history of anti-social behaviour and is subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which forbids him drinking in public or shouting abuse. He was already subject to two suspended sentences.

He told police he would ‘terrorise’ them and told them he would headbutt and kick them before he launched donkey kicks at two officers who were trying to restrain him.

The attack in Liskeard happened just four days after his sentence at Truro Crown Court had been deferred to see if he could stay out of trouble and address issues of substance abuse.

Vicars, aged 31, previously of Dudnance Lane, Pool, near Redruth, but now of no fixed address, admitted two counts of breaching a CBO and two of assault by battery and was jailed for a year and five weeks by Judge Anna Richardson at Exeter Crown Court.

She told him the breaches of the order were deliberate and he had been consuming cans of alcohol in public on both occasions. Mr James Adams, prosecuting, said Vicars was arrested in Truro on May 10 and Liskeard on June 24 this year.

Police had cordoned off an area of a car park in Truro while they dealt with a medical emergency and Vicars became abusive when they told him to take a detour around it. He became aggressive and was arrested while carrying a can of alcohol.

The Liskeard incident happened at 6.38pm on the junction of Pike and Fore Street where there was an altercation between Vicars and another man and shouting between him and a woman who was also there.

Police arrested him on suspicion of assault after he became violent and abusive and it was clear he was under the influence of alcohol.

Mr Adams said: “Vicars was staggering around and invading the officer’s personal space. He said ‘I will terrorise you’ and told members of the public that he was going to headbutt the police.”

He launched two donkey kicks after being restrained which hit two of the police as they were struggling to get him into a van.

Mr Chris Cuddihee, defending, said Vicars has struggled with issues of homelessness but hopes to stay with a friend in Pool or to return to a hostel nearby when he is released.

He has been treated for his addictions while on remand and is now on a methadone script and is benefiting from a ‘thinking skills’ course which will help him stay out of trouble.

He became upset during his arrest in Liskeard because he had been put on a deferred sentence just four days before. He wants to apologise for his behaviour and for letting the judge down.