A BATCHLEY man who hurled vile abuse at nurses and a police sergeant after being taken to hospital with a head injury has been jailed for a total of 15 months.

James Cooper had been hit with a bottle after drunkenly insulting people in Stratford's Bancroft Gardens, from where he was banned under an anti-social behaviour order.

Cooper, aged 21, of Daybrook Close, pleaded guilty to breaching the ASBO, using racially abusive threatening words and behaviour and two charges of assaulting police officers.

At Warwick Crown Court, Eugene Hickey, prosecuting, said that under the ASBO, which was made at Stratford County Court in March, Cooper was banned from certain areas of Stratford, including Waterside and the Bancroft Gardens.

But he went to the gardens on September 13 where he drank large quantities of vodka and began insulting people and "being generally unpleasant".

One unknown person who took exception to his behaviour retaliated by hitting him with a bottle, causing a deep wound to the front of his head.

Police officers who attended were concerned about the wound and tried to help him but Cooper became aggressive and had to be restrained while an ambulance was called.

He was taken to Warwick Hospital, accompanied by a paramedic and Pc Craig Purcell in the ambulance, but during the journey Cooper lashed out at the paramedic and tried to kick the officer, who sprained his ankle as Cooper pushed him backwards.

At the hospital Cooper hurled vile abuse at the medical staff over a number of hours until he was sedated.

Cooper kicked out and continued to be abusive when he was arrested and when interviewed after sobering up he admitted being drunk and breaching the ASBO but said he could not remember what he had done.

Mr Hickey added Cooper had a number of previous convictions for offences including assaulting police officers, disorderly behaviour and using racially aggravated abusive words and behaviour.

Nick Devine, defending, said: "Throughout his dealings with the authorities Mr Cooper has shown deep and total remorse for what happened.

"When he woke up the next morning in the hospital, not knowing where he was or how he got there, he was told what had happened and was appalled.

"He asked for one of the nurses and apologised to her, and then asked for paper and a pen so he could write a general apology to the members of staff at the hospital.

"When he was interviewed by the police he repeatedly expressed his remorse for the way he had behaved towards the hospital staff and the police officers."

Jailing Cooper, Judge James Pyke told him: "The offences arise from an episode of sustained and quite outrageous behaviour on your part.

"You were lashing out and were using language of a most vile character directed at hospital staff and police officers which included the most ugly racial taunts."