Shropshire shoplifter jailed for head-butting officer - but will only serve six weeks
A shoplifter who headbutted a police officer while he was being arrested has been jailed for 18 months.
But Marcus Prince, 29, who has been on prison remand since the incident at Spar, in Shawbirch, on January 20 is only required to serve about six weeks, as the term was reduced by half.
The defendant, formerly of Leegomery, had been reported for theft at the same shop the previous day. When he carried out a second theft the police were called to the site, in Acorn Way.
Mr Anthony Cartin, prosecuting barrister, said the defendant headbutted one of the police officers and attempted to gouge them in the eye as he was being arrested.
He told Shrewsbury Crown Court that Prince was also seen to put some cannabis in his mouth.
Prince, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty on a basis of plea to an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two theft offences and an offence of possession of cannabis at the hearing.
Mr Kevin Jones, mitigating barrister, said: "He concedes that the officers were right to do what they did and that it was his fault. He wants the court to know that at no point did he want to hurt the officers in this way.
"The problem is, he has a number of antecedents, he can be eccentric and is easily distracted. He has already spent several months on remand."
Sentencing him, Judge Anthony Lowe said: "The real problem here is that if you keep carrying out low level crime that puts you in scrapes with the police.
"It's not the first time that you have headbutted a police officer."
The defendant's previous convictions include being jailed for five months in 2017 for assaulting two officers, theft and railway trespassing.
For the latest offences he was jailed for a total of 18 months. He must serve half before being released on licence.
