A man has been jailed after he viciously attacked two police officers with gym weights.
Gareth Hart, 39, assaulted the officers when they came to investigate a report of a disturbance at an address in Longbenton.
When they arrived, the intoxicated Hart soon turned violent arming himself with the weights before he attacked.
Hart, of Lambourne Avenue, North Tyneside , was arrested and later charged with attempted wounding with intent, two counts of assault, battery and criminal damage.
He denied all offences but after a trial he was found guilty of attempted wounding with intent and one count of assault at Newcastle Crown Court in November. He was found not guilty of all other charges.
He was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday.
Chief inspector Kev Waring, of Northumbria Police’s Northern Area Command , said: “This was a disgraceful and unprovoked attack that saw the defendant violently attack officers with intent to seriously injure them.
“Officers come in to work every single day knowing they could be faced with dangerous situations, however such attacks are completely unacceptable and it is right that those responsible are brought to justice.
“This sentence demonstrates the lengths, even when faced with such levels of violence and hostility, which officers will go to in order to protect the communities we serve and put offenders before the courts.”
