A MAN who avoided jail for assaulting a police officer has been slammed by the force for his “violent conduct”.

Risca man Thomas Davies was hit with a fine for assaulting a British Transport Police (BTP) officer at Cardiff Railway Station on Saturday, March 5.

Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 22, the 35-year-old, of High Trees, Risca, Caerphilly Borough, pleaded guilty to the offence of assaulting an emergency worker - along with one count of using threating or abusive language which would likely cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Following his conviction, the BTP, which polices railways across Wales, England and Scotland, released a statement, condemning Davies’s actions.

They urged Davies to think twice “about his violent conduct in future”.

The force stressed that they would continue to bring anyone who is alleged to have assaulted emergency services personnel before the courts in future.

Statement from police in full

A spokeswoman for the British Transport Police told the Argus: “Assaults on officers are completely unacceptable and we will always seek to bring such offenders before the courts, as in this case.

“Officers have a duty to protect the public, but are all too often prevented from doing so by violent individuals who choose to attack those who are there to help them.

“We hope Davies will think twice about his violent conduct in future.”

What happened at court?

During sentencing, Davies’s guilty pleas were taken into account, while his victim’s profession was considered an aggravating feature.

But despite this, Davies avoided a custodial sentence, instead being hit with a fine.

He was fined £576, and made to pay £50 in compensation.

Davies was also ordered to pay costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service, and a £58 surcharge to fund victim services.

All told, Davies is required to pay a balance of £769.