A MAN assaulted five people on Christmas Eve – but he has been allowed to walk free from court.

Jack Swindells attacked the victims – including four police officers – during the festive period last year.

The 21-year-old was only sentenced for his violent actions recently before Warrington Magistrates’ Court.

This came after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to four counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker, and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

All of the assaults occurred on Christmas Eve last year, December 24, in Warrington, explained Kassem Noureddine, prosecuting.

Among the five male victims were two police constables and two detention officers.

Magistrates highlighted how the severity of the overall offending merited a term of imprisonment, with the case having crossed the custody threshold.

They said that his actions represented unprovoked attacks of a serious nature which were committed while ‘in drink’.

However, following a determination by the Probation Service that there is a ‘realistic prospect of rehabilitation’ in his case, they opted not to make the sentence an immediate one.

Swindells, of Bedford Street in Chorley, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, but this was suspended for the next two years.

He must also complete an alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirement for 60 days and undertake 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

No order for court costs was made, with compensation of £380 prioritised.

Due to the defendant’s ‘limited means’, an application was approved for the funds to be deducted from his benefits.