A domestic abuse suspect who spat in a police car and later attacked a police officer who tried to stop him self-harming has served his punishment, a judge has said.

Ipswich man Sean Keane, 51, was being taken to Colchester police station after officers were called to a domestic incident in August last year.

He was charged with assault by beating, damaging property, threatening another with a bladed article, criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker.

No evidence was offered for the first three charges, and he admitted one count each of criminal damage and assault.

Ipswich Crown Court heard on Wednesday how Keane was arrested in relation to a domestic matter which wasn’t pursued by the prosecution.

As he was taken to Colchester police station, Keane spat at a cage door in the police van and later slapped an officer in the face when they tried to stop him from tying a blanket around his neck in a police cell.

After the offence Keane, of Bromley Close, Ipswich, spent 51 days in jail and 84 days under curfew after the offences.

Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley noted Keane was homeless and had “a chaotic lifestyle” from 2019 to 2021 and suffered a life-changing cycling accident which caused a bleed on the brain.

At a hearing earlier this year, the court was told Keane wanted to emigrate to Australia and that a custodial sentence would affect his chances of leaving the country.

Adam Budworth, mitigating, said Keane’s position remained the same.

He said: “Since this offence, he has remained crime-free – that in itself speaks volumes.

“He appears to be on a more even keel in his life than he had been up until 2023, bearing in mind the difficulties he suffered in 2021 from that dreadful accident.”

Sentencing Keane, Judge Talbot-Hadley said: “Your circumstances have vastly improved, you have got secure accommodation, it looks like you are no longer struggling with drugs, and alcohol isn’t so much a feature in your life as it used to be.”

She sentenced Keane to an 18-month community order which included a programme to help him recover from his injuries in 2021 to ensure “nothing of this nature occurs again”.