Renton man Darren Gordon, 31, attacked the officer after the police were called to a house in Alexandria following reports of a domestic disturbance.

He pleaded guilty to the assault charge and at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week the sheriff branded Gordon’s record ‘appalling’.

The court heard police officers attended a house in King Edward, Alexandria, on September 9 last year after neighbours reported hearing Gordon and his girlfriend arguing at around 2pm.

When police tuned up at the home, Gordon became ‘increasingly aggressive’. When one police officer was not able to control Gordon, he sprayed CS gas in his face twice, but Gordon ran at the officer, pinned him to the sofa by his throat, and repeatedly punched him on the head.

The police officer shouted ‘I can’t breathe’ and colleagues came to his aid. It took six police officers to take him to Clydebank Police Office.

Solicitor for the defence Scott Adair said despite Gordon’s lengthy record, he had stayed out of trouble for a ‘reasonable period of time’ with his last charge in 2012.

Mr Adair stated Gordon, of Lamont Crescent, had consumed a lot of alcohol and his girlfriend had suffered a medical issue two weeks earlier.

When the police attended the house, and spoke to her in a different room, she sounded distressed and called for Gordon and when he was not able to check on her he became aggressive.

Mr Adair added that his girlfriend is now pregnant again and is due for her first scan in two weeks time, and Gordon was ‘anxious to attend’ the scan.

The assault was committed while Gordon was on bail for a previous charge, which was later dismissed.

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry said Gordon’s record was ‘appalling’ and added that he had left him with no alternative to a custodial sentence.

Gordon then shouted to the Sheriff repeatedly: “My girlfriend is pregnant. How am I going to see my girlfriend?” As he was led away, Sheriff Hendry replied: “This is not a discussion Mr Gordon.”