Two police officers referred in an impact statement to their distress after being assaulted by a man they were arresting in the town centre of Rhyl late at night.

Constable Eifion Patchett was awarded £200 compensation and his colleague Robert Jones £150 by magistrates at Llandudno on Friday for their injuries.

Mitchell Dean Bromley, 28, of River Street, Rhyl, was given a 12-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, with 120 hours of unpaid work to include 15 days of rehabilitation activity. Costs of £85 were imposed.

He pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of cannabis for his own use and to two charges of assault by beating of an emergency worker on July 27.

Diane Williams, prosecuting, said it happened after Bromley had been searched for drugs at 12.15am. He bit PC Patchett on the wrist and punched the other officer in the face.

PC Patchett described going to A and E for health checks and said there had been an affect on his family, who had even asked if he wished to remain as a police officer.

PC Jones declared that his family, too, worried about his welfare when he went to work. He’d been injured during sport such as rugby “but never expected it to happen in the workplace.”

Andrew Hutchinson, defending, said according to Bromley he relied on cannabis for his health and was upset when it was taken from him. There had been a struggle, he was taken to the ground and while in a choke-hold bit the officer on the wrist.

The irony was that if he had merely accompanied the officers to the police station it was likely he would have received a conditional caution for possession of the drug. “It was out of character, there is no suggestion he is a violent person,” added Mr Hutchinson. “He does apologise to both officers.”

Court chairman Brian Cossey told Bromley, who is unemployed: “Assaulting an emergency worker is absolutely not acceptable. These people do not go to work to be assaulted by anybody, they’re trying to protect members of the public.” He added: “You also used your teeth as a weapon against one of them.”