A police officer underwent tests for AIDS after a drunken man spat blood into his mouth, Devizes magistrates heard.

Matthew Hale, a 30-year-old bricklayer from Worton, had admitted at an earlier hearing assaulting a policeman and being drunk and disorderly.

His case had been adjourned until last week for a pre-sentence report.

Marion Langford, prosecuting, told the court that police had been called to to a fight involving a large number of people in the Market Place, Devizes, at about 2.20am.

They found Hale at the centre of the disturbance, his face bloody, flailing his arms and trying to punch a man.

PC Tom Kinderman grabbed Hale, who smelled of alcohol and was clearly drunk.

Hale got a hand free and smeared his own blood across PC Kinderman's face. PC Kinderman released him and Hale lunged at the officer, spitting blood, some of which went into PC Kinderman's mouth.

Hale was arrested and taken to Melksham police station, all the way threatening police officers with violence.

Ms Langford said: "Quite apart from this being a nasty and very violent attack, the possibility of contracting AIDS caused the officer a great deal of fear and shock. He had to undergo a series of blood tests."

Hale was shown CCTV footage of his assault on PC Kinderman and admitted the offences.

Esther Bisgrove, defending, said Hale was emotional because he had been assaulted twice that evening.

"Completely out of the blue a man he didn't know had hit him in the side of the face," said Ms Bisgrove.

"He went into the kebab shop to remonstrate with the person who assaulted him, and was again assaulted by at least three individuals.

"He has little recollection of the incident and is very remorseful. To put the officer's mind at rest he voluntarily underwent blood tests and he is not suffering from any infectious disease."

Magistrates told Hale that they would be lenient because of his remorse and the steps he had taken to reassure PC Kinderman that he had no illness.

Hale was given a 180 hours' community punishment order and ordered to pay £250 compensation to PC Kinderman plus court costs of £43. For being drunk and disorderly he was fined a further £50.