A man punched a hostel resident and pushed him down the stairs after accusing him of stealing from disabled people.
Marcus Spiteri, 36, assaulted Leon Evans at the Oak House hostel in Cardiff on August 1 and spat at a police officer who was called to the building following the incident.
At around 7.45pm Spiteri was caught on CCTV punching fellow resident Mr Evans to the side of the head before pushing him down a flight of stairs.
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The victim said the defendant called him a "rat" and a staff member heard Spiteri saying: "He's robbing disabled people. My mum is disabled and he shouldn't do it."
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard Spiteri pushed a staff member and attempted to put his hands round their neck before spitting on the clothed leg of PC Lee Powell who had arrived with a colleague.
The defendant, of Ty'r Ysgol, Adamsdown, later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker.
Prosecutor Meirion Davies said Spiteri had more than 100 convictions including a number of assaults. His latest offence saw him threatening to "throw a bomb" in a Jobcentre in Bristol.
Defence barrister David Pinnell said his client had issues with drug misuse but at the time of the offence he was free of substances as the hostel had zero tolerance policy to drugs. As a result of his offending he is no longer welcome at the hostel and will have to find new accommodation when he is released from prison.
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Sentencing, Recorder IWL Jones said: "This took place from behind and the victim was vulnerable because he was at the top of the stairs. You punched him to the side of the head and he falls down the stairs which is potentially a very serious thing to happen. People can die and it's happened many times, even by accident.
"PC Lee Powell when he turned up was just doing his job. To spit on him is a thoroughly disgusting offence and you should be ashamed of yourself. Nobody doing their job should put up with that kind of behaviour."
Spiteri was sentenced to a total of 12 months imprisonment.
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